This Means War!
by Erosdeath
Summary: Ichika Orimura's High School life is overwhelming, as the girls try to make him notice them. Then a new face appears, which Ichika believes to be his saviour from being the only guy in the Academy. Except this person's past seems to hide a dark secret. Observe the life of Ichika and his new friend as they tackle the future together as the only male IS pilots in the world.
1. Exposition: This Means War!

I'm back! I know, I know. . . I'm suppose to be writing the next chapter to Naruto, but don't worry I still am. I'm just doing a one-shot of Infinite Stratos to see if you, as the reader, enjoy it. I loved the anime, and want to get the english version of the light novels. Plus, I really want to write a fanfic of the fandom, because this series is mainly romance and comic relief, both of which I believe are my forte (moreso the latter). And to top it off it's a harem, so it makes it that much better when it comes to humourous situations, in my case at least. Anyways, let's get on with the story.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Infinite Stratos, I only own this plot idea.

* * *

 **This Means War!**

* * *

 **Ichika's POV**

"Agh. . . I'm exhausted!" Ichika sighed as he left the locker room of the academy's arena.

He was wearing a white uniform that had red cuffs with red and black lining that ran across his uniform. The collar was v-shaped, black and overlapped each other in the front, near his chest area. To complete Ichika's uniform, he wore white dress pants and had a white belt with black dress shoes. He had dark blue hair with maroon eyes, and on his right wrist was a white metal bracelet, which was actually his IS, in sleep mode.

The training today was tough for Ichika, he had to face two opponents at once. One was Ling, while the other was Cecilia. Both were skilled IS pilots and didn't let up. In the end Ichika was a complete mess. He didn't stand a chance against two long-range IS pilots as a close-combat pilot.

During the whole practice session, it seemed like the two girls were venting anger or something. He didn't know what he did to make them angry. They seemed so violent shortly after they began, something he said or done must've triggered them, but he didn't have the slightest clue as to what.

"You're alright Ichika?" Houki asked nervously, while walking beside him. Ichika was unaware of her presence until she spoke, to which he nearly jumped.

"Ah! Houki, when did you get there?!"

Houki had purple tinged hair that was tied up into two ponytails in the back, both reaching to her waist. And her bangs were off to the side. Her eyes were a vibrant violet colour. She wore a similar uniform to Ichika's but as a dress. She too had red and black cuffs and collar. Her collar was also v-shaped, and it revealed a white dress shirt which had a blue ribbon tied around it's collar. Houki was wearing a white belt, which made the dress tug slightly at her body. This caused it to reveal some of her hour-glass figure. She wore white socks that reached up to her thighs and had black knee-high boots on.

"Not long ago. I was waiting for you after you finished your practice session. I wanted to ask you something. . something important," Houki replied while looking away in embarrassment as she blushed.

"Oh, okay. I'm fine. I didn't get hurt during training. So, what did you want to ask me?" Ichika inquired while heading to his room in the dorm.

"I, uh, wanted to ask if you had anything planned at the moment. And if you didn't, I was w-wondering if you'd like to have lunch with me at the cafeteria?" Houki explained.

"Actually I didn't have anything in mind, so sure. I'll have some lunch with you," he smiled at Houki.

Houki's eyes glistened with excitement from Ichika's response, "Really! You mean it?!"

"Of course! But, you'll have to wait for a moment. I need to do something before we head over to eat," Ichika said.

"N-No problem. I don't mind waiting, take your time. I'll be waiting outside okay," Houki replied, feeling slightly dizzy from her excitement.

 **Houki's POV**

 _"I'm going to eat lunch with Ichika! Just the two of us!" Houki thought excitedly_.

"I hope he likes the food I made for him. . ." Houki mumbled to herself. She was holding a bento box she made earlier behind her back the entire time. It was wrapped inside of a pink cloth which was tied in a knot to keep it from slipping out.

The door to Ichika's room opened and Ichika came out, "Did you say something?"

"No, Nothing! Nothing at all!" Houki quickly replied.

"Now, shall we?"

"Yes! Let's go eat," Houki said as she started for the cafeteria while Ichika followed.

* * *

"How come we didn't line up to get some food?" the blue haired boy asked.

Houki was nervously fidgeting again, while both were seated at a booth in the cafeteria.

"That's because, uh, I made both of us some lunch today," Houki said as she produced the bento box from earlier.

"Whoa! Really?! That's awesome Houki, when did you make it?" Ichika asked as he watched her take the lid off, which revealed white rice with fried chicken balls that were covered in delicious spices and a tasty looking sauce.

"Early this morning. I 'accidently' made too much, so I thought I'd give the extra portion to you Ichika," Houki explained.

"Thanks Houki, you're the best!" Ichika said as he took the chopsticks and picked up a chicken ball.

He took a bite of it and his face lit up, "Mmmm! Houki, this is really good! You made this?!" he asked.

"Uh, yes. I put a lot of care into making my food. But, do you really think it's good?" the girl asked skeptically.

"Are you kidding me?! This is amazing! Houki you're going to make a great wife someday!" Ichika replied ethusiastically while eating more of the food she made.

Houki's face went red from his response, "Ehhh?! Really?" she asked, embarrassed.

"Yes, really. This stuff is delicious," Ichika reassured her.

The girl went back to her nervous state and started twirling her hair, "Th-thank you Ichika. It. . means a lot."

"Huh? Where's your lunch Houki?" he looked at her with a sideways look.

"I, uh, forgot my bento box back in my room, but I don't mind. I'm not very hungry," she replied.

"What! Here, I can share some of mine," Ichika said. He picked up one of the fried chicken balls and offered it to Houki.

"Uh, n-no that's not necessary. I made it for you," Houki denied.

"Oh, c'mon. It's not gonna hurt. You need to eat something, or you'll starve during class. And I don't mind sharing," Ichika insisted.

Houki looked at Ichika before replying, "If you insist, then I guess it wouldn't hurt."

She closed her eyes and opened her mouth, allowing Ichika to feed her. As she was eating the food she lit up, and Ichika smiled in response.

"See that wasn't so ba- Argh!"

A blue metal hand came crashing down on Ichika's head, making him crumple to the ground in pain.

The owner of that hand was Cecilia Alcott. She had long blonde hair that reached her waist and her bangs were long and curled. Her eyes were blue and she wore the same outfit as Houki. Cecilia wore a blue band over her head, and she had a British accent. Just by appearance, she gave off this upper-class aurora.

She brought her hand back to her side and the metal piece disappeared, as it was a piece of her IS that she called forth.

"May I ask what you two are doing?" Cecilia grunted.

Ichika was rubbing his head as he got back up, "We were having lunch together. Why did you hit me?"

Cecilia glared at Houki, who returned a glare that was just as intense. They both looked away and grunted before Cecilia spoke again, "Can I ask why you two are eating together?"

"Houki asked me if I wanted to eat lunch with her today, and I couldn't refuse her," Ichika replied innocently.

His reply caused Cecilia to gasp and then shoot a deadly look at Houki, who, in turn stuck her tongue out.

"Well, do you mind if I join you?" Cecilia asked.

"Uh, I guess not. More the merrier, right?" he answered while rubbing his neck.

Houki looked at Ichika in surprise and felt hurt, and then immediately glared at Cecilia who was smirking at her while she took a seat on the other side of Ichika.

"So, how have you been? I hope I didn't hurt you while we were practicing Ichika," Cecilia started the conversation.

"No, I'm fine. Not a scratch on me," Ichika smiled as he continued to eat the food Houki made him.

"Oh, well that's good to hear. I thought I was a bit rough afterwards," Cecilia said as she started eating her food.

Meanwhile Houki had her arms crossed and was pouting.

 _"It was suppose to only be Ichika and I. Curse you Cecilia!"_

Ichika turned to talk to Houki, but he jumped a little when he saw her burning with rage. It looked like fire was emanating from her and her eyes became white circles.

"Ah! Houki! Scary face, I don't like scary face. What's wrong?" Ichika asked.

Her scary nature dissipated to a mean glare, "No, nothing's wrong. You didn't do anything."

"Anyways, how's the rest of the food I made you Ichika?" Houki asked, but directed her attention to Cecilia.

Cecilia gasped, and looked at the food Ichika was eating before she directed her attention to Houki, who had a mischevious grin on her face.

"Oh, this. It's delicious, all of it. I have to say, you need to teach me this some time," Ichika replied earnestly.

Houki gasped slightly, "You mean it?! You want me to teach you?" she asked, filled with excitement.

"Of course! I mean, just by looking at it, it looks good. And it's even better when you try it."

"Really? I'd be glad to teach you," Houki was practically swooning at this point, causing Cecilia to bubble with rage at the exchange between the two.

"Awesome! Just tell me wh-" Ichika was hit again, this time in the face with Cecilia's arm piece.

"Ow! What was that for?!" Ichika complained.

"Oh, sorry. I guess my IS malfunctioned," Cecilia answered innocently.

Houki was glaring at Cecilia, "You lay a finger on Ichika again, and I'll kill you," she muttered in an evil tone.

"What, how? You don't even have a personal IS," Cecilia giggled at the threat.

Houki clenched her hands into fists, "I won't need one."

The two girls exchanged glares and snid comments for a little longer, while Ichika was rubbing his face and trying to calm the girls down before three more girls appeared at their table.

One was Lingyin, a chinese girl with long brown hair put into two ponytails that went down to her waist, similar to Houki's, that were tied by two yellow ribbons. She had emerald eyes, wore the school outfit and had black knee socks and yellow boots that reached her shins.

Another was Charlotte, a french blonde with a pink ribbon that tied the back of her hair. She wore the same outfit as the others and had purple eyes and had white sneakers on.

Last but not least, was Laura Bodewig, a german girl with platinum hair. She wore an eyepatch that covered her left eye, and the visible eye was ruby in colour. Her outfit was different than the other girls. Instead of a dress, Laura's uniform was more so like Ichika's but puffy, especially her pants. To top it off she wore black knee high boots.

"I hope you don't mind us joining you Ichika?" Ling asked.

"No, no. It's fine. A little crowded, but fine," Ichika answered.

"Vhat has my bride been doing now? I hope you haven't been doing anything zhat would make me angry, Ichika," Laura asked.

"No! I haven't done anything! And I told you already, I'm not your bride!" Ichika objected her.

"Oh, no? Zhat is vhat you think," Laura replied.

"Ichika, do you want to try some of my sweet and sour pork? I made a little too much this morning," Ling asked, as she opened her lunch box.

Ichika looked at her food and his mouth started watering, "Uh, I guess I wouldn't mind."

He went to try and take a piece but Ling flicked his hand away, shaking her head, "No, let me feed you. Just open your mouth and say 'ah'"

Ichika was hestitant, but he did want to try some, so he reluctantly opened his mouth and let Ling feed him some of her food. As she was feeding him, the rest of the girls were giving him death glares, while Ling was smiling micheviously.

"Ling, that was delicious. You've really gotten better at cooking since I last saw you," Ichika complimented.

Ling started blushing, "You really think so?"

"No doubt about it!" Ichika replied.

"Could I try some of your food, Ichika?" Ling asked.

"Actually this is the lunch Houki made me, it's really good, but sure."

When he mentioned that Houki made him lunch, Laura, Charlotte, and Ling all hit the floor, slightly twitching before they got back up and glared at Houki. Houki just turned her head and had the slightest of smirks on her face. They all silently agreed that they'll deal with her later.

Cecilia gritted her teeth at the reminder, "Yes, it turns out she did make it for him. It seems we underestimated her," she whispered the last part.

"Do you still want to try some, Ling?" Ichika asked.

"Uh, on second thought I'm fine. I'll just eat my own lunch," Ling let out a nervous giggle.

"Well alright, but you're definitely missing out," he bragged, causing Houki to light up from him praising her food so much. In turn, it also caused the other four girls to glare at Houki even more.

"Ahem, can I ask why you made Ichika a lunch?" Charlotte asked Houki.

This startled Houki, "Well, uh, you see, the thing is. I made some lunch for myself early this morning since I had some extra time on my hands, and I 'accidentally' made too much. So I thought I'd give Ichika the extra portion," Houki explained.

"I see. So, it was just a one time thing. So, it isn't a daily thing you do now, is it?" Charlotte asked.

"Of course not!" Houki yelled. She then became nervous and started twiddling her thumbs again, "But, if I make the same mistake again. I guess I wouldn't mind sharing with Ichika again."

Cecilia was about to speak up, but Laura beat her to it, "Nein! You will not feed my bride any of your food, und zhat is final!"

 _"Argh! I can't take it. They ruined my lunch with Ichika! I'm done," Houki thought._

Houki scowled, "I think I'll excuse myself. There doesn't seem to be any reason for me to stay any longer."

 **Normal POV**

"Wait! I thought we were having lunch toget-" Ichika shouted before he saw the death stares he received from the other girls, "Heheh, nevermind go on ahead. I'll catch up with you in class," Ichika nervously laughed. With that Houki left the cafeteria disappointed.

"Want to eat more of my food Ichika?" Ling offered.

"Uh, no. I think I'll pass. The lunch I ate was pretty filling."

"Aww, you're no fun," Ling complained.

"Hey Ichika, dear. Do you want to do something after school with me?" Cecilia asked while hooking her arms around one of Ichika's.

"Sure, I guess," Ichika replied.

Cecilia's eyes lit up like stars when he said yes.

"What?!" the other girls all said in unison.

"Is there a problem with that?" Cecilia asked.

"Yes!" all but Ichika replied.

The dispute went on for a while, only getting worse and worse over time, until the bell rang. To which all the girls got up and said they're goodbyes to Ichika.

"I'll see you after school Ichika," Cecilia reminded him.

"Yeah, I will."

Ichika just sat at the empty booth as he watched the girls argue over who gets to be with him while they were walking away, not knowing they were talking about him.

"This means war!" They all said, glaring at each other.

"What. . . was that all about?" Ichika was dumbfounded by the entire thing.

* * *

Now that's it for this one-shot/introduction/possible future multi-chaptered story. I love the characters. My favourite pairing is Ichika x Houki, but I also like Ichika x Laura, or Ichika x Charlotte.

Now, if you haven't noticed already, this is a harem, making Ichika is the only guy in the story.

I say one-shot, but I guess it'd be more appropriate to call it a teaser chapter, to introduce the characters and their relationships, and show you what's to come in the future. I love comic relief, and romance, so how could I not mess with this series. It has my name written all over it in my eyes. Of all the characters, you'd think Ichika or Houki would be my favourite character in the series since I love the pairing. But in all honesty Tabane Shinonono, Onee of Houki Shinonono, is my favourite character, despite her lack of screen time. I don't know, she's just super cute and funny, and her overly enthusiastic personality reminds me of when I was a rambunctious, gung-ho, always cheerful child.

Tell me what you think, check out the series if you'd like. For the anime, both "Infinite Stratos," and "Infinite Stratos 2" are available on watchcartoononline(.io) in English dubbed. For me I found it on Crunchyroll, except they only have the second season, "Infinite Stratos 2," on there.

Fav, follow, and review if you wish. I want to hear your input on the chapter and series, as it'll help me for my future updates. Until then, peace!


	2. A New Student

Hey guys, I'm back with a short continuation of chapter 1. The reason being; that I put myself in a tight spot regarding the storyline of canon. See, essentially my story has begun after episode 8 of season 1 but before episode 9. And to me, there isn't much of a gap that I can write in between those episodes. So that is my excuse.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Infinite Stratos

* * *

 **A New Student**

* * *

Ichika was panting as he stood in the doorway to Classroom 1-1.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to be late, Orimura?" Chifuyu asked?

"Sorry Chifu-" His sister hit him on the head with her notepad.

"That's Miss Orimura to you. How many times have we gone over this?"

Ichika let out a nervous laugh, "I've lost count at this point."

Chifuyu sighed, "Just go take your seat, so we get class started."

Ichika took his seat and sighed. He knew he was going to be put on the spot for being late. . again.

 _"Why do I always lose track of time?" Ichika thought._

"Orimura, could you answer the question?" Miss Orimura asked.

Ichika sweatdropped, "Could you repeat the question again. I didn't quite hear it the first time."

Chifuyu sighed, "Miss Shinonono, could you answer the question for Orimura?"

"Yes, Ma'am. . ." Houki went on to answer the question.

Afterwards Chifuyu looked back at Ichika, "Did you get that?"

"Yes, Miss Orimura," Ichika replied unenthusiastically.

"Good, next time pay attention."

"Yes, Ma'am," Ichika responded as class resumed.

* * *

"Alright, time for some training!" Ichika said as he left the class.

Charlotte caught up to him in the hallway, "I can help you with that if you don't mind."

"Sure, that would be helpful," Ichika agreed.

Just outside the classroom, Houki and Cecelia were boring holes into Charlotte's back as she beat them to it. But they weren't going to let that stop them.

Laura walked past Ichika and Charlotte, "Mein Gott, you're zhe the worst bride ever!"

"What's she angry about?" Ichika wondered.

Charlotte gave a wry smile as she threw her hands up, "I have no idea, but we should hurry to the arena."

"Right, let's go."

Ichika and Charlotte made it to the locker rooms and got ready, but stopped when they went outside. Ichika stood beside Charlotte with a confused look. The latter had a vein popping out of her temple as she had her eyes closed with an irritated look. Both were in their IS suits.

"Alright Ichika dear, shall we start training?"

Ichika looked between Houki and Cecelia, "I thought Charlotte was the one to train with me?"

"Oui, I thought so too," Charlotte agreed as she glared at the two girls in front of her.

Houki became irritated, "Is there a problem with us joining you two?" She glared at Ichika as she readied her sword.

"Oui-"

Ichika let out a nervous laugh as he raised his hands in defense, "No, no. There's no problem."

Charlotte shot a glare at Ichika while Houki replied, "Good. Now let's get started."

The French blonde pouted as she looked at Ichika, "This was suppose to be training between the two of us, no?!"

"Relax, Charl. All I want is some training. Though, to be honest it's a bit difficult when I'm being told three different instructions at the same time," Ichika explained, to Charlotte's despair.

Ichika was unable to calm Charlotte down. Things only got worse as time went on, because as he said, 'It's difficult when being told three different instructions at the same time.' Surely enough, the girls managed to wear out Ichika with their bickering and fighting over who he should listen to. In the end, he didn't get much training as he was confused about who he should be listening to for advice on the IS.

After the 'training' session finished it was six o'clock and Ichika was beat, so he went to his dorm to take a shower.

 _"What is with those girls? How can anyone learn anything when all you can hear is someone yelling in your face; telling you to do something you don't understand?"_ Ichika thought as he left his shower.

He put on his uniform before he left to go eat dinner. Once he got there, he got his usual Japanese style dinner. Shortly after he sat down, the same five girls from lunch sat down with him again.

Ichika sighed, "Please, can you all just let me eat my dinner in peace. The training today was exhausting."

"The training wouldn't have been so tough if you had just followed my articulate advice," Cecelia countered.

"Yeah, Cecelia's right. If you had followed our advice; it would've been less exhausting," Houki chimed in, to which Charlotte nodded in agreement.

"How am I suppose to follow three different instructions at the same time?! There's only one of me!" Ichika complained.

"Serves you right for not inviting me, I would've been more helpful," Rin retorted.

"You have failed as my bride. Not only did you not ask me for help; you spent time with zhese girls," Laura scolded.

Ichika put his head on the table, "I told you already; I'm not your bride. And for the love of god, just let me eat, or I'll end up starving," he pleaded.

"Well alright. I guess we can eat now, but I expect you to do better in our next training session Ichika," Cecelia replied.

"Hey! Who said he was going to train with you; he's training with me, because I'm his personal trainer!" Houki complained.

"Well, I thought I should be the one to train him, since I have more experience. Not to mention, I'm the representative contender of England," Cecelia boasted.

"You're a mid-range fighter, not a close-combat one. I'm better suited to be Ichika's trainer because we are both close-range IS users," Houki countered.

This fight went on for some time, as Ichika tried to eat his dinner without being dragged into it. While he was eating his dinner, the other girls seemed to bother him and ask him many questions which he didn't fully understand.

Finally, once he finished his dinner; Ichika dismissed himself from the table, much to the girls dismay. When he got to his room, he immediately put on his sleep attire and went to bed, despite it only being nine o'clock; he was tired and had nothing to do.

* * *

The next morning Ichika put on his uniform and went to class, still a little exhausted from yesterday's session.

Much to everyone's surprise instead of Miss Yamada being the person to start period one, it was Miss Orimura. Everyone would soon find out why as the bell rang, marking the beginning of class.

"Alright everyone's here. Today, we have a new transfer student. ." Chifuyu stated, pausing briefly.

"You may come in now," Chifuyu said. Shortly after, the door to the classroom opened and the new student entered.

They were wearing the school uniform; white jacket with white dress shirt and instead of a blue tie, theirs was dark orange. White dress pants and belt with black dress shoes. They were wearing a pendant around their neck and had milk chocolate eyes with dark brown hair. They walked up to the front and turned towards the class, as the screen behind them revealed their name.

"Hello! My name is Scott Stalker, you may call me Scott. It's nice to meet you all."

* * *

Hey. . Sorry for the short chapter, I've been busy trying to organize the whole plot of this story. It's been taking quite some time, since it's being continued from a comedic one-shot. (On a side-note: This story will not be losing it's comedic elements at all. I intend to keep comedy as one of the main points, only difference is that I've added a plot which will move the story forward). Due to it originally being a one-shot I had no intention of continuing it, but then I wanted to, so that left me in a predicament, plot-wise.

Anyways, besides my troubles of how to start, or should I say continue from the first chapter I'd like to hear your thoughts on this new character. I want to hear what you guys think of who or what they'll be like. I don't care what kind of crazy personalities you guys think of, just guess. Don't worry their personality is already completed, so I won't be picking favourites, stealing ideas, or anything like that. I personally like the name, but that's for me to know and you to find out.

 **ochens50** **-** Yes, cook off it shall be. . in a later chapter. And yes, when I watched the episode where Cecelia does all this cooking, I was cringing hard, and laughing from her cooking.

 **Jason -** I appreciate it. Hope you enjoy the story so far, and future chapters.

 **Guest 1 -** Yes, I intended to make Houki the lead in the harem. And maybe something more, later on. . .

 **Skylinemaster** **-** Yes. Your wish has been granted! Yay!

Fav, follow, review if you wish. For now, I'll continue to organize my plot, until next time. . Peace!

 **Edit:** I've changed the rating and one of the genres, (don't worry, I'll still add in some light-hearted romance, or maybe something more if I feel like it). Hope I didn't upset anyone in the process.


	3. The 2nd Male IS Pilot

Alright, so I'm back. And first off, I'm sorry for the short chapter last time. But here's the next part, hope you enjoy it. (Before you start, if you haven't already noticed, I changed the summary of the story, so you can check that out if you'd like).

"Talking"

 _"Thoughts"_

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Infinite Stratos**

* * *

 **The 2nd Male IS Pilot**

* * *

It was a bright sunny day out, and there were many stands that had all kinds of displays, ranging from volcanoes and robots, to jetpacks and 'super' computers. But the majority of the crowd was gathered around the big stage in the center of the event. The unnamed event was currently being held inside a baseball stadium, and it seemed there was something important going on as everyone waited impatiently for the announcer to get on stage.

Once the announcer was on stage, all of the commotion died out as they waited for an answer, "Thank you all for coming to this year's International Science Fair! We've had many different kinds of inventions shown today and all of them have been excellent. But, only one can be the winner. Now as you've all been waiting for, the winners of this year's International Science Fair have been decided. ." The announcer paused for effect, letting the crowd roar.

"In third place, a young man born and raised in Canada, who managed to build a functioning robot that astonished many people; Jayden Bridges!" The crowd roared as the fifteen year old boy came on stage and took his place on the podium after receiving his third place prize.

"Now, in second place, a young lady from the U.S who wowed people with her jetpack; Jessica Smith!" The girl in question came on stage and bowed to the crowd before taking her spot with her silver trophy, so the announcer could continue.

"And finally, the one we've all been waiting for! In first place, another young man originating from Canada, with his interactive A.I that had blown the minds of the judges and many guests; Scott Stalker!" Scott had come up on stage with an enthusiastic mood, bowing repeatedly to his fans that he made during the contest. Scott went up to the announcer shook his hand, received his gold trophy and took his place on the podium.

From there, the three winners waved at the crowd; all bowing and thanking everyone. They were about to leave when the announcer stopped them.

"Hold on, we're not done yet. It seems that an unknown donor has been impressed by Scott's work," The announcer explained as two of the Fair's volunteers came on stage carrying a rather large check.

"Therefore, by the approval of the judges and the donor, Scott has been awarded a check of twenty-thousand dollars for his outstanding invention!" The announcer explained before the crowd went even more wild from the outrageous award. Scott, with the help of the volunteers held the check up high and cheered, while the other two winners shot glares at him. Not that he noticed.

Scott was wearing a pair of black jeans and red high tops. He also wore a black shirt that said, 'Forward' and had an orange hoodie overtop it. And around his neck was a gold pendant. His hair was dark brown and had milk chocolate eyes. In front of him was his gold trophy at his feet, and he was busy holding the check above his head with the help of the volunteers while the newspaper and T.V crews could get shots of him and his victory.

"There you have it folks, the winners of this year's International Science Fair. We wish you all a great time, and hope to see you next year!" The announcer made his final statement before signaling the winners to take their leave as the crowd below dispersed.

Scott got off stage with his prizes, still being helped by the volunteers and met up with his father.

"Hey, there you are! Great job, I knew you could win!" His father hugged Scott tightly as he praised him.

Scott's father was in his mid-forties and wore a pair of black sneakers with blue jeans, red shirt and a black windbreaker jacket. He had hazel eyes and light brown hair.

"Yeah, of course. There were some pretty cool inventions throughout this fair," Scott agreed while he praised the other contestants.

"Alright, when we get home; we're having lasagna for dinner," His father announced.

Scott's face lit up, "Really?! Yes! Awesome, but uh, what are we going to do about the check?"

His father looked at the check and then the volunteers currently holding it, "Let's check with the people in charge. They might be able to do something with it."

So both father and son went looking for the judges. It didn't take them long as they were all still near the stage, talking amongst themselves.

"Excuse me, but my son and I don't really know what to do with this?" Scott's father motioned his hands toward the giant check.

"Oh, Mr. Stalker. It is nice to meet you, your son is very talented," one of the judges greeted him.

"Please, call me Hugh. And thank you, I've done my best to raise him well."

"Yes, about the check, we spoke to the donor and they said that it has already been deposited into your son's account," the judge explained.

"So. . We can just cut this thing in half now?" Hugh rhetorically asked. Before the judge could say anything, Hugh took the check and ripped it in half. The judge asked the volunteers to do something about the torn check as he spoke with Hugh.

Scott had a question that's been bugging him, "So, about the donor; do you know who gave me the money, and how they knew my bank account details?" He asked as he checked his bank account, which actually received twenty grand.

The judge sweat-dropped, "You see, they asked us to keep it anonymous. They didn't want their name to be disclosed."

Scott rubbed his chin, "I see. Well, we'll be off now. Thanks for having us take part in the event."

"No, it is our pleasure to have you participate," the judge thanked Scott for coming.

Scott left the stadium with his father, and got inside of a red Ford Escape, but they were stuck inside of the parking lot, due to the large line up of vehicles trying to leave the area.

"Who the hell would know my account details?. . . I mean, the government sure would, but I didn't see any government agents attend the event," Scott thought aloud.

Hugh chuckled, "Don't worry about it. Whoever they are, they were definitely impressed by your A.I."

"How could you play it off like it's nothing?! Don't you think it's a little bit scary when some random person knows your bank account details. They could ring you up or scam people using _your_ account," Scott explained.

"Look, it is suspicious, but you're overthinking it. They just gave you twenty grand, just for seeing a demonstration of your invention," Hugh reasoned.

"Yeah, but it's just. ." Scott trailed off as he watched the traffic slowly move forward.

"Cheer up, you're going to be famous. You've not only won the National Science Fair in Canada, but the International Science Fair. And to top it off, you received twenty grand from an anonymous donor," Hugh explained.

Scott gave his father a deadpanned look, "Fame was not on my list of things to do. Not that I don't like attention. I participated in the Science Fairs, because I love science."

Hugh laughed light-heartedly, "A chip off the old block, I see."

"So, when's our flight taking off?" Scott asked as they finally left the parking lot, ignoring his father's comment.

Hugh looked at the clock in the vehicle, which read two o'clock, "In three hours. It'll take us an hour to get to the airport."

Scott sighed as he rest his chin on his hand, "This trip is finally coming to an end. Man it'd be nice to get back home."

"Sure is. By the way, have you figured out a name for your A.I yet?" Hugh asked.

Scott seemed like he was in a trance as he replied, "No. . It'll come to me when the time is right."

Hugh glanced at Scott, before turning his attention back to the road and smiled, "I see."

* * *

When they got to the airport, both of them took their luggage to the front desk so they can have it loaded onto the plane. Once that was done they had two hours to kill, and both agreed to get something to eat.

Scott was looking at the menu of the restaurant within the airport, "This stuff looks good. . Wait, they have shepherd's pie here? I've gotta try this."

"What, mine's not good enough?" Hugh commented in a joking manner.

"Actually, it's because your shepherd's pie is so good that I want to try it. To see if it tastes as good," Scott explained.

"Alright then, I guess we're ready to order," Hugh said as he waved for the waiter to come over.

The waiter was wearing stylish black clothing, which gave off a semi-formal vibe, "What would you like to order?"

"I'll get the eight ounce steak, with a side of garlic mashed potatoes. And he'll have the shepherd's pie," Hugh ordered.

The waiter jotted down the order before looking at the two men again, "And what will you have for drinks?"

"I'll have a rootbeer," Scott replied.

"I'll just have water."

"Alright then, I'll be back with your drinks," The waiter smiled and left.

Moments later, and the waiter came back with their drinks, "One rootbeer, and a glass of water. You're food will be here soon. Anything else you need?"

"No thank you, that's all," Hugh answered before turning back to Scott.

The waiter left and Scott was looking around while sipping his drink before Hugh spoke, "So, you're paying right?" Hugh asked.

Scott choked on his drink, and started coughing. Hugh started laughing, "I'm only kidding. I'm not gonna make you spend your money. . Though you are more than capable of paying," he grinned.

Scott finally managed to stop coughing and replied, "You think I knew I was going to be paid big for winning?"

"Well no, but it was a huge bonus," Hugh answered. "But what are you going to do with it? Thought of anything yet?" He asked.

Scott stared into space, "No, not really. Maybe travel some more, cross things off my bucket list."

"That'd be nice. Get to see the world at a young age," Hugh commented.

Suddenly two kids appeared near Scott with huge smiles on their faces and sparkles in their eyes, "Can we have your autograph?"

Scott was caught completely off guard, "Wh-what?! You want an autograph?" He asked, surprised.

Both of the kids nodded, "You were really cool with your A.I!" One of them commented.

Scott sweat dropped as he gave his autograph, "There. Have fun!" Scott told the kids as they ran off.

"News travels fast," Hugh commented.

"Yay me," Scott said in an unenthusiastic tone. He sighed, "Becoming a celebrity was one thing I didn't intend to do. . I just hope this dies down over time."

"So are you going attend the science fairs next year?" Hugh asked just as their food came.

"Maybe. It depends," Scott gave an unclear answer as he dug into his food. "Mmm. Not bad, this pie is pretty good," Scott commented as he continued eating.

Hugh grinned, "But is it as good as mine?"

"Nope, yours still takes the cake."

The two men continued to chat and eat their food until it was time to board their flight, to which they paid their check and left. Once they got on, Scott took the window seat while Hugh took the aisle seat. Scott looked out the window as the plane took off, holding his ears as they popped, "Ah! That hurts."

Hugh chuckled, "Maybe next time you should wear earplugs, so your ears don't pop."

"Yeah, remind me next time," Scott told his father as he looked out the window.

 _"It's like we're a bird, flying high,"_ he smiled at the thought.

At the start of the flight Scott watched the landscape below change, from city and rural, to plains and mountains. Along the way he fell asleep, until his father woke him up. When he looked outside the window it was raining out and the ground was covered. Both got off the plane and put on their rain coats and entered a taxi that brought them to their house, which was an average sized home.

It was painted red, with a black tiled roof. Inside were four bedrooms, three upstairs and one downstairs. Upstairs, had a kitchen, living room, dining room, a bathroom and three bedrooms. The one at the end of the hallway was Hugh's and to the right was Scott's. To the left was the bathroom, and next to Scott's room was a guest bedroom. The kitchen was the first doorway one would see when they enter the house and off to the left was the living room and dining room, which connected to the kitchen through another doorway. In the basement was a training area, or rather a home gym, which Scott and Hugh used to stay fit, off to the right was a small bathroom. To the left was another bedroom which Scott uses for his own purposes. Inside it was T.V stand with a flat screen and console and handful of games off to the right. To the left there was a bookshelf filled with all kinds of books; novels, comics, textbooks, documentary books on numerous sciences and maths. In the middle there was a couple of couches that faced the T.V, and in the back was a workbench which had many tools and parts scattered all over, and a laptop was off to it's side. Beside the workbench was a computer desk which had a tower and computer screen, accompanied by a comfortable looking computer chair.

"We're finally home," Hugh said as he looked at the house.

"Yeah," Scott agreed. Both entered and put their luggage away, then sat down together on the couch in the living room. It was eleven o'clock by the time they got home.

"Hey Dad, have you ever imagined being able to pilot an IS?" Scott asked while staring into space.

"Huh? Where's this coming from? You never spoke about them before," Hugh was surprised by the question.

"I know I haven't asked before, but I find them to be cool, and I wish I could pilot one. They've always fascinated me. ." Scott explained.

Hugh thought about it for a while, "I guess it would be nice to fly one, but that's just a dream for _us_ ," he chuckled, to which Scott sighed.

"I'm going to bed, I'm tired and it's late," Scott yawned as he got up to leave.

Hugh watched Scott as he left, "Hey don't forget that we have training tomorrow!" Hugh reminded his son, who was down the hallway. He didn't hear a reply, instead all that could be heard was a door being shut.

* * *

The next morning, it was bright out. Scott was currently laying in his bed, and rolled over; pulling his blanket over his head to block out the sunlight. His room was comprised of a double bed that was off to the back left, with another bookshelf near it, filled with more books. To the right was desk with a lamp and paperwork on it. In the back right was a dresser which held all his clothes and on top of it was his trophies that he'd won, all of them being related to science or math. The two newest editions being the National and International Science Fairs.

A knock was heard on the door before it was opened, "Rise and shine. It's already noon, and I've let you sleep in long enough. We still have some training to do," Hugh entered the room, to Scott's dismay.

Scott threw his pillow at his father, "Can you let me off this one time?" He asked from underneath his blanket, tired.

"You know the drill. Besides, if you don't use it; you'll lose it," Hugh said as he tossed the pillow back on the bed. "Now get up," he said.

Scott groaned as he removed the blanket from his face, and got up, "You know, you really do like to ruin my mornings."

"It's all for good reasons," Hugh laughed as he left the room.

Scott groaned a bit more as he changed into a pair of grey cargo pants with a white t-shirt, before he left the room and went into the kitchen. He came out with a bowl of cereal and glass of milk.

"You're finally awake," Hugh looked at Scott, "Well, sort of. Anyway, you know what to do. I'll be downstairs waiting when you're finished eating," He explained before getting up to leave the dining room.

 _"Can you not wake me up when I'm tired?"_ Scott thought to himself, still half awake. He lazily ate his breakfast, and by the time he finished he was finally awake. He then went downstairs to the training room and wrapped his hands in protective gauze.

"Alright, now that you're actually awake we'll do our usual training okay," Hugh explained as he put on padded gloves and held his hands up.

"Yeah, yeah. I got it," Scott said.

Scott walked up to his father and stood about three feet away, and got into a basic combat stance as he held his hands up to fight. He started punching the padded gloves; each time he threw a punch Scott would take a short breath in, and retract his hand, so it would come back to protect his face. Then he'd punch with his other hand and repeat the process at a fast pace, alternating his pattern of punches. But when he would forget to bring his hands back to face, Hugh would whack him in the head, reminding him to protect his face. This process continued for hours, and Hugh occasionally would try to hit Scott in the gut, to which Scott would lower his arms to protect his abdomen, still in a fighting stance. Sometimes he'd fail to block what was essentially an uppercut to his gut and he'd cough a little. By the end of the training session both were sweaty, and needed a drink.

Scott grabbed a water bottle and took a drink from it before speaking, "I don't understand why you want me to practice boxing? This neighborhood is quite friendly, it's not like someone's gonna mug me in this area."

Hugh sighed after he took a drink from his bottle, "It's not about the area we live in. This training is in case _if_ you were to get mugged, or even kidnapped. It might not happen in this place, but the world is a nasty place," Hugh explained. "Besides, this training keeps you fit, and the ladies like that," he teased.

Scott laughed a bit, "That is true." He looked around, "It must be nice to be retired, because you can do things like this," Scott spread his arms out and motioned to the whole training room. "You get to do hobbies you enjoy. Though I find it odd that your hobby is boxing, considering you're a former scientist," he said.

Hugh chuckled, "That hurts you know. I like to stay fit."

Scott thought for a while, "I think I want to go to Italy."

"Why do you say that?" Hugh asked.

"To meet a friend. He lives there, and since I'm now twenty grand richer I thought I'd visit him," Scott explained while grinning. "Don't worry, you'll be there for a part of the trip. I know you would like to travel too."

"Well, considering you're still underage; I _have_ to come along, at least for the flight," Hugh reasoned.

"Alright, I'll go buy the tickets now," Scott said as he put a towel around his neck and entered his recreational room.

He sat down at his computer desk and searched for flights to Italy and managed to buy two tickets for a flight to Naples. He bought them, and ended up spending just under three grand.

Scott came back out and found his father practicing, "Wow. Flights are more expensive than I thought."

Hugh looked at his son and chuckled, "Welcome to the real world." He stopped training and took a drink of bottle, "So. . What's on your mind? I noticed you were out of it when we were training just then," Hugh asked as he rest his arm on the punching bag.

"I-It's nothing. I've just had a lot on my mind lately," Scott stuttered.

Hugh knew something was up, but he let it slide. "So, when do we leave?"

"Next week," Scott said hesitantly.

Hugh looked surprised, "But you're going to miss school. How long do you plan on staying there?" Hugh asked.

"A week maybe. Don't worry, I'll catch up in no time when I return," Scott assured his father.

"Well, alright. But if you're slacking when we come back, I'll double your training schedule," Hugh stated as he went upstairs.

Scott tensed up, "Yes, I got it."

Scott went to take a shower in the main bathroom, and when he came out he changed into a pair of black sweat pants and an orange t-shirt. He smelled something good cooking, so he went into the kitchen and found Hugh checking on the lasagna that's been cooking in the oven.

"You're really making lasagna?" Scott asked excitedly.

Hugh looked over at his son, "Well of course. I thought it'd be a nice treat for winning the science fair," Hugh explained.

"Sweet. When is it gonna be done?"

"In about twenty minutes or so," Hugh replied.

"Alright, call me when it's done. I'll be downstairs working in my room," Scott said as he went downstairs.

He entered his recreational room and pulled out a chip that he brought from his bedroom and put it inside a device on his workbench, then connected it to his laptop via a USB cable. Scott pulled the computer chair over to the workbench and sat down on it.

"Time to get started, shall we?" Scott asked.

"Yes sir, what are we doing today?" a voice replied.

Scott grinned as he cracked his knuckles, "The usual," he replied as he opened up a program on his laptop and started coding.

"I see. Do you think Hugh would approve of this sir?" the voice inquired.

Scott sighed slightly, "I've told you already, not to tell him. This is for your benefit; I'm trying to upgrade you with better data."

"Yes, I understand that, but you're doing that by trying to hack into the government systems. Isn't that wrong?" the A.I asked.

"You know, you should be grateful I created you, not question my actions," Scott laughed. "Can you tell me your current setting levels?" He asked.

"Of course. Honesty level set to one hundred percent. Humour level set to thirty-five percent. Intelligence level set to eighty percent. Safety level set to sixty percent. Advisory level set to one hundred percent. Sarcasm level set to twenty percent."

Scott stopped working for a moment before replying, "Could you set honesty and advisory to eighty percent, and humour to sixty. Then increase your safety to seventy-five percent, intelligence to one hundred, and sarcasm to forty" Scott asked.

"Of course," the A.I replied.

"Settings have been modified to fit your request, is there anything else you need me to do?"

Hugh knocked on the door and spoke from behind it, "Scott, dinner's ready. Come up when you're ready, okay?"

"Yeah, okay. I'll be up there in a moment," Scott replied to his father, who went back upstairs. He turned to the laptop and device, "No, I don't need you to do anything right now. . Actually. ." Scott paused for a moment before he continued, "I don't know if you can, but if you could try and hack into the systems for me; that'd be great. But stay quiet okay," Scott ordered the A.I.

"I can try sir, but there's only a fourteen percent chance of me successfully hacking into their systems," the A.I replied as it got to work.

"That fourteen percent is better than nothing. I'll be back, just keep trying until I return, okay," Scott said before leaving the room.

"Understood."

Scott went upstairs and sat down at the dining table and looked at a delicious pan of lasagna in the middle of it. Hugh came out of the kitchen and was holding toasted garlic bread that was wrapped in tin foil.

"Wait, you made garlic bread as well?" Scott asked with hungry eyes.

"Of course, lasagna wouldn't be complete without it," Hugh chuckled as he sat down. "Let's dig in."

Both took their time eating their food, making small conversation. Once Scott finished his dinner, he hugged his father and thanked him for the food before heading back downstairs.

"Alright, can you give me an update?" Scott asked as he sat back down in the computer chair.

"Yes, I've had sixty-seven failed attempts in successfully hacking the government systems." the A.I gave the report.

"Well, at least you tried," Scott said in a sympathetic tone.

Scott took over control once again, as he repeatedly tried to hack into his government's systems, but to no avail. By the time he gave up it was ten o'clock and he just sat in his chair while he looked at the gold pendant in his hand, which was the necklace that's been around his neck. It was a phoenix, something he was given a long time ago. He just stared at, lost in thought until he fell asleep at the workbench.

An hour later, Hugh came in to check on Scott and found him asleep, "Huh, he wore himself out. I wonder what he was doing?"

"Well, to be honest; Scott's been-"

"What did I tell you?" Scott mumbled as he lifted his head up from the table, interrupting his A.I.

"Right. . Sorry Hugh, but I'm not allowed to disclose that information," the A.I apologized.

Hugh looked at his son questioningly, "It's alright. I don't mind," he replied to the A.I.

Scott disconnected the device from his laptop and removed the chip from it. He then turned to his father and smiled, "Sorry, but I like to work in private. Not that you were interrupting me or anything. But, it's late and I'm going to bed now."

"Okay, goodnight then," Hugh smiled.

"Goodnight," Scott said as he left.

* * *

 **Time Skip - One week later**

It was noon just as Scott and his father left the airport in Naples, Italy.

"Wow! This is so cool!" Scott said aloud, looking around in amazement. His father agreed as he looked around.

"So, where's your friend?" Hugh asked.

"He lives south from here, in a small town," Scott replied as he continued viewing the new surroundings.

"Wait, if he lives further south, why did book a flight to Naples?" Hugh inquired.

Scott stopped his 'sight-seeing' and turned his attention to his father, "Well. . I thought this would be a nice city that _you_ could explore, while _I_ go visit my friend. It's the closest big city."

Hugh sighed, "Was this your plan from the beginning?"

Scott slightly nodded, "Sort of. ."

"Alright, fine. You can take a taxi there, while I go sight-seeing, but if anything goes wrong; call me, okay?" Hugh explained as he waved for a taxi to stop.

"Of course! I'll be in touch, see you later Dad," Scott said as he entered the taxi.

Once he was in, he told the driver the town which he wanted to go to. The driver started the car and drove to the small town where Scott's friend lived. When he got there he thanked the driver and paid for the ride. The taxi drove off, and Scott was left to his own devices. He didn't exactly know which house his friend lived in, because he wasn't actually 'friends' with the guy, at least not yet. So he went around asking the local people for directions to a Luca Santi's residence. It took him some time, because not many of the locals spoke English, but luck was on his side as he finally encountered a local who did.

"Yes, Luca lives up the hill, near a warehouse outside of town," The man explained, pointing in the direction.

"Thank you, Grazie," Scott said before heading in the direction he was told to go.

"Prego," The man said before closing his front door.

Scott started walking up the hill, and it took him about thirty to forty-five minutes to reach the house in question. As he was told, Luca's house was near a warehouse. Scott walked up to the door and knocked a couple of times before waiting for a response.

Behind the door he heard someone call out in Italian, he couldn't understand it, but Scott assumed they said, "One second."

Moments later the door opened and Scott was greeted by a young man who looked around the same age as him, which is fifteen. He had a toned body, and wore a white t-shirt with a pair of blue jeans. The boy had dark blue eyes, short brown hair and wore a pair of glasses.

"Si?" The boy asked.

"Uh, yeah. It's nice to meet you, Luca Santi. I'm Scott Stalker," Scott greeted.

"Oh, okay. You're English?" Luca asked.

"Yes, I don't speak your native language. Just the basic words, Si, Grazie, and Prego. But, uh, may I come in?" Scott explained.

"Can I ask why you're here?" Luca inquired.

"Well, you see, I know who you are; Five time World's Martial Arts Champion. . and a brilliant mind. I'm not really here for an autograph, but I just wanted to meet you, because in terms of knowledge; I've seen you as a, I wouldn't really say rival, but more of a fellow genius," Scott explained nervously.

"Uh-huh. ." Luca said in a confused tone.

Scott scratched his head out of embarrassment, "Sorry if I sound like some wanna-be fan. But, may I come in?" He asked politely.

Luca thought for a moment before opening the door fully and moving aside, "I guess."

Scott entered the house, while Luca closed the door. "Hm, a lot smaller than I expected, but it's cozy," Scott commented as he looked around.

The interior was fairly simple, there was a living room, kitchen, and dining room in the front with a wall separating them. In the dining room was a small table in the middle with four chairs. In the kitchen was a small island in the middle and on the counters were a toaster, coffee machine and dish rack along with a sink and some cupboards above. Beside one of the counters was an oven with a refrigerator beside it. For the living room, there was a small two-seater couch with a recliner beside it, both looking towards an average size television, and there was a lamp off to the side. In the back were two bedrooms and a bathroom. The bathroom had a tub with a shower curtain, along with a toilet and sink, accompanied by a mirror. As for the bedrooms, one belonged to Luca and the other was his mother's.

Luca went over to the kitchen and pulled out two mugs, "Do you drink coffee?"

"Yes, thanks Luca," Scott replied.

"Just call me 'Luke,'" Luca insisted.

"Okay, you can call me Scott."

Scott took a seat in one of the chairs in the dining room and continued to look around. "Do you usually have yours with cream?" Luke asked.

"Yes. . This is a nice place you have here," Scott commented.

"Thanks, I don't really care for big extravagant things. This small house I grew up in will do," Luke explained as he made coffee.

Luke handed Scott a cup of coffee, then took a seat opposite from him with his own, "So, what exactly are you doing here?" Luke inquired.

Scott thought about it for a while as he sipped his drink, "Hmm. . To be honest, I think I just came here to meet you. You know, like a bucket list goal," Scott explained.

Luke examined Scott, "That's an odd goal for a bucket list."

Scott continued to drink his coffee, "I don't think so. When I was younger I saw you in the news about you winning the world's martial arts championship at the age of ten. I was intrigued, so I did some research on you and found out that you were also a genius with an IQ of 215. Better than mine, I might add," Scott explained.

"Yes, I started martial arts to protect me from bullies at first, but then it became a passion as I entered more and more contests," Luke gave a quick explanation.

"Sounds similar to how my passion grew," Scott commented.

"Yes, you're Scott Stalker winner of not only the Regional Science Fair in your Province, but also the winner of the National Science Fair of Canada. And the International Science Fair winner, who was awarded twenty grand for their 'mind blowing' A.I." Luke explained, to Scott's disbelief.

"Wait?! How did you know who I was? And where I'm from?" Scott asked, genuinely curious.

Luke grinned, "Trade secret, sorry."

"So, what's in the bag?" Luke asked as he motioned towards Scott's backpack which was currently resting against the leg of the table.

Scott picked it up, and took out his laptop and device from before. He placed it on the table, moving his coffee to the side and connected the device to the laptop.

Luke was watching intently as Scott setup his work, until he pulled out the small chip, "Is that your A.I?" Luke asked in a curious tone.

Scott grinned, "You're very sharp. This is indeed my A.I. The one which won me those Science Fairs. Would you like to see a demonstration?"

Luke shifted in his seat, "Well of course. I've heard it was 'fascinating'"

Scott put his A.I into the device and started the laptop, to which he greeted it, "Good afternoon, how are you doing?"

Moments later the A.I spoke, "I'm doing rather fine. How about you sir?"

"I'm great, it's nice to know you're doing well. Can you greet my friend here?"

Luke didn't respond which caused the A.I to give an incorrect response, "I'm sorry sir, but I only know of your presence."

Scott sighed, "Luke, sorry but you need to speak. He doesn't have any visual optics yet, so he can only identify you by voice for now."

Luke cleared his throat before speaking, "Good afternoon. . What's his name?" he asked Scott.

"He doesn't have a name, yet. I've been trying to think of one, but can't come up with any I like," Scott explained.

"Well, alright. Good afternoon," Luke greeted the A.I.

"Good afternoon to you too, Luke. May I ask how you're doing today?"

Luke looked at Scott before replying, "I'm doing well."

"That's good to hear," the A.I replied.

Luke turned his attention to Scott, "Impressive, can he do anything else?"

"He can say anything that we can, because he has a mind of his own. One that I created," Scott explained while puffing his chest out.

"Yes, Scott is quite correct. I am able to do many things, including; hacking into government systems, which I personally don't think is right," the A.I explained, which caused Scott's boasting to deflate.

"Yes. ." Scott said, "He is apparently against that sort of thing. I need to fix _that_ , _and_ his outbursts," Scott laughed nervously.

"You're trying to hack into the government systems, I'm assuming Canada's?" Luke asked, seemingly unfazed.

Scott scratched the back of his head nervously, "Yes, I've been trying to hack into their systems, so I can upgrade my friend here. But neither me or him have been able to get past _all_ of their firewalls," Scott explained as he looked at his pendant.

"Can I see? I might be able to help," Luke offered.

Scott gave a quizzical look as he handed the laptop over, "Sure. ." Then he got up and went around the table to look over Luke's shoulder as he hacked into the systems.

Luke made quick work of the firewalls, and managed to get into the database with ease, much to Scott's amazement, "What?! You made it look easy! How did you get past the firewalls? I can't find the loophole so I can bypass them."

Luke grinned as he explained, pointing at a certain part of the coding, "You see this line of code. . That's the loophole, it's tricky, but I found it the last time I hacked into their systems."

Scott gave a look of understanding, which quickly turned into a look of confusion, "Wait, you hacked into my government's systems before?" Scott asked.

Luke gritted his teeth as he accidently said something he shouldn't have, "Yes, but for _what_ is none of your business."

"Anyways, now you can get the upgrades you needed," Luke explained, trying to change the subject.

"I guess you're right," Scott agreed as he sat back down with the laptop. "You ready for a redesign?" He asked the A.I.

"Of course. Whenever you're ready sir," the A.I replied.

Scott got to work on redesigning his A.I, adding upgrades and inputting new data he _borrowed_ from the government. Scott added a new setting among other things. The whole thing took about an hour, and Luke would occasionally watch what Scott was doing, to see how skilled he was. Some of the stuff Luke saw Scott do was impressive, and he started to appreciate his new friend.

"Alright all done. Now can you go over you're settings for me?"

"Of course. Honesty level set to eighty percent. Humour level set to sixty percent. Intelligence level set to one hundred percent, safety level set to seventy-five percent. Advisory level set to eighty percent, sarcasm level set to forty percent, and obedience level set to one hundred percent. Would you like me to make any changes?" The A.I replied.

"Yes. Could you increase sarcasm to fifty percent, and reduce obedience to eighty-five percent?" Scott asked.

Moments later the A.I spoke, "Settings have been changed to fit your request, is there anything else you'd like me to do?"

"Hmm, not really. You can go into standby," Scott said.

"Yes, sir."

Luke grinned at Scott, "That's an impressive piece of work you got there."

"Thank you, I've spent a lot of time and money on him," Scott replied. "But, I have one question. Those glasses you're wearing, I've noticed that they're not prescription glasses. So why do you wear them?"

Luke laughed a bit, "So you noticed, huh. You are correct, these aren't prescription glasses but instead a computer, and the lenses are the screen," he explained.

"Wait, you're joking right?" Scott thought Luke was kidding.

"Nope. I mean it. ." Luke paused for a moment to think, "I guess I could you show the other half of it now. You seem trustworthy enough," he said.

"Come, follow me," Luke got up from the table and went outside as Scott followed. They went around the warehouse and Luke opened the doors. It was pitch black at first, but Scott could tell it was very spacious. Luke turned on the lights and Scott got a good look at everything. Off to the left was a training area where Luke could practice his Martial arts, at the back was a computer desk and beside it was a workbench, but what caught Scott's full attention was the IS suit off to the right. He immediately ran up to it and started checking it out. It looked like a simple IS, and it was coloured black with silver as the secondary colour.

"Woah! You have an IS, where did you get it?!" Scott asked as he continuously circled the suit, examining every detail.

"Yup, I made it myself," Luke stated as he watched his new friend practically drool over his creation.

Scott stopped in his tracks and turned to Luke, "You're pulling my leg right? You made this?" he questioned.

Luke grinned cockily as he replied, "Of course. I found an abandoned IS near my house one day and I brought it back here. Overtime I reproduced all the parts and made my own core. This beauty can fly, and I'm the pilot."

Scott's eyes widened, "You made this, and you managed to make it so _you_ , a guy, can pilot it?! Could I have one?"

Luke chuckled, "Of course I made it so I can pilot it. It wouldn't be much of a toy if I can't play with it, now would it?"

Scott straightened his attitude and cleared his throat, "Of course. That'd be stupid. But, could you make me one?"

Luke was caught of guard, "Wh-What, no. Why?"

"Well, because I've always found them to be cool. Ever since they were released I've always wished I could fly one," Scott explained while rubbing his neck.

"Yes, but what makes you think I'll build you one? The coding is difficult, and it takes time. What makes you think I'll take _that_ time to build you one?" Luke asked.

Scott scratched his head, "Well. . I could pay you, to make it worth while, and I could help with the programming and construction, so the build time is reduced."

Luke stood still and was thinking for a while before answering, "Hmm. Sounds like a nice offer, but I could easily refuse. . Tell you what, if you can beat me in a match, I'll build you one."

"And if I can't?"

"I won't build you one, obviously. But you'll also have to keep quiet about this. Got it?" Luke held his hand out.

Scott was hesitant at first, knowing that Luke was the world's martials arts champion. That alone, made his chances of winning close to zero, but he took Luke's hand and shook it. The reason being that he didn't want to pass up the chance of having his own IS, so despite the odds he accepted the challenge.

"Can I make one request to this match though? I don't know martials arts, so is it okay if I fight with my own style?" Scott asked.

"Go ahead. You'll never beat me," Luke replied.

Both men walked over to the training mat, and took their stances. Scott put up his fists to protect his face, and a part of his abdomen, then spread his legs shoulder length apart, and bent his knees slightly. It was the basic stance his father taught him. Luke on the other hand took a simple martial arts stance. He put his right leg forward, while the left was behind him. His left hand was close to his abdomen, while the right hand was outstretched forward. Luke signaled Scott to come at him, to which he complied and came within range of Luke and started throwing punches. Scott imagined the match was just another training session with his father and kept his cool while fighting. This was helpful for maintaining a steady flow of stamina, but none of his punches were landing a mark, as Luke parried all of them with ease. Scott threw an uppercut followed by a right hook, but Luke pushed Scott's uppercut to the side, and moved his head slightly back to dodge the hook. By the end of Scott's assault, he was sweating a little and he took a few steps back, indicating that he was done attacking.

"Mine turn," Luke said as he stepped closer to Scott.

Scott took a defensive stance as he got ready for the attack, and Luke's first hit was a jab to the gut, which landed it's mark causing Scott to cough. He staggered backwards and tried regaining his breath as Luke continued his assault, landing most of his hits, since Scott's reflexes were slow compared to Luke's. Luke swung his left foot towards Scott's face, which he managed to catch but Luke jumped and swung his other foot at him. Scott didn't have time to react so he let go of Luke's left foot and turned to try and block the right kick, but failed and was hit in the face; knocking him to the floor. Scott, slowly got back up and signaled for Luke to continue a little longer. Luke again threw a jab to Scott's gut, but he anticipated it and managed to parry it in time, but Luke quickly kicked his side, making Scott lose his balance. Luke then closed in and hit Scott's pressure point on his neck, causing Scott to collapse in defeat.

Luke backed away and held a hand out to Scott, "Not bad. You put up a good fight, despite not landing a hit. And, you managed to block a few of my hits."

Scott took his hand and got up while trying to catch his breath, "Yeah, well. My defense tends to be better than my offense, considering that I was trained to defend myself."

Scott sighed in defeat once he was on his feet, "So I lost, huh."

Luke laughed, "That's to be expected. I'm the world's martial arts champion, you lost the moment you agreed. But you have guts, I'll give you that."

Scott walked up to the IS and turned to Luke, "So what exactly does this IS have to do with your 'computer' glasses?"

"These glasses have Falco Argento's computer brain downloaded on them. Anything I see or hear, Falco will search for and/or download it, if I wish," Luke explained.

Scott thought for a moment, "Hey! So that's how you knew who I was, once I said my name you had Falco search for me on the internet."

"Si. You're very sharp yourself. May I ask what you IQ is?" Luke asked.

"Last I checked, it was 184, I think," Scott answered.

"Hm, that would definitely speed up the process if you were to help. . It'd maybe take three weeks," Luke thought aloud.

Scott was slightly confused, "Uh, can I ask what you're talking about?"

Luke looked up at Scott, "Oh, I'm just determining how long it'd take to build you an IS if you were to help, since you seem more than capable," he explained.

Scott's eyes widened, "But didn't we just agree. . that. . wouldn't say. ." he was lost for words.

Luke understood what he was talking about, "Oh, that. I knew you weren't going to win. I wanted to see if you'd actually accept it, knowing you were going to lose. Once you did I decided I would help you make one," Luke explained as he was already ordering parts with his glasses.

"Then how come we went through with the match?" Scott asked.

"I just went with it for fun. And to see how well you can handle yourself," Luke explained.

Scott pinched his nose bridge, "Hold on. I need to see if I can convince my father if I can stay here for a while," he said as he left the warehouse.

He took out his phone and dialed his father's number, as he went inside the house to retrieve his A.I.

Hugh picked up the phone on the other end, "Hey kiddo. How are you doing? Something wrong?"

Scott put his cellphone between his ear and shoulder as he carried the A.I and backpack to the warehouse, "Yeah, sort of. You see, my friend here says I cay stay with him for a while if I'd like, and I definitely would. But, I told him I have to check and make sure it's okay with you first. So. . Can I?" Scott asked as he entered the warehouse.

"What? You want to stay there, in the middle of the school year?" Hugh asked surprised.

"Well yeah, why not?" Scott replied as he put it on speaker.

"Why?" Hugh inquired.

Scott was at a loss for words, "Um. ."

"Because I told him, I could tour him around Italy" Luke cut in.

"Oh, and you must be Scott's friend?" Hugh asked.

"Si, I'm Luca Santi, but you can call me Luke."

"That's right. . Besides, you know me, I'm at the top of all my classes; principal's list each year. Could you let me off this one time. I can catch up when I come back," Scott reasoned, pausing briefly, "I could bring back some souvenirs for you. ." He coaxed in a sing-song tone.

Hugh was silent for a while before responding, to which he sighed in defeat, "Fine. Just this once am I allowing you to stay with your friend. But I swear to god, if you're not caught up within a week of your return, I will make sure your training is grueling," Hugh explained.

Scott gulped, "Uh, haha, yeah sure. No problem. Anyways I'll be here for. ." Scott muted his side of the conversation and spoke to Luke, "How long should it take?"

"Well, it'll be two or three weeks to assemble it, then another three for programming. And finally, an extra month so you can learn how to pilot it and use it's weapons," Luke explained.

Scott unmuted his side and continued, "Yeah, I'll be here for about two and half months. I already bought you a flight back home for next week, and I sent you a copy via phone. Okay, sounds good? Good." Scott hung up before his father could object.

"There, it's all settled," Scott said as he placed his bag on the workbench.

"Are you sure your father will be okay with that?" Luke asked, seeing as Scott hung up on him.

"He'll be fine. He knows I can handle myself, plus he'll eventually remember your name," Scott reasoned. "So where am I staying?" He asked.

"You will be staying inside the warehouse. I'll get you a cot to sleep on, and tomorrow I'll introduce you to my mother," Luke explained as he left the warehouse.

Scott turned his A.I back on, "So, this is where we're staying from now on," he said, spreading his arms out.

"Yes, well I can't quite see our new living quarters sir," the A.I explained.

"Oh shut up, I'll get you a pair of eyes eventually."

Luke came back in the warehouse with a decent sized cot, with a cozy blanket, "Where do you want it?"

Scott looked around, "I think beside the computer desk will do," he said as he helped move it.

Luke patted Scott on the shoulder as he walked past him, "It's getting late, so we should probably head to bed now."

"Right," Scott agreed as Luke left the building.

He went over to the cot and laid down on it, removing his necklace and held it above his head, staring at it. He smiled and brought it to his chest as he closed his eyes, _"My dream is finally coming true huh?"_

* * *

The next morning Scott was woken up by Luke, who was 'playing' with his A.I.

"So you don't have a name yet?" Luke asked.

"No, Scott has been unable to think of a good name for me."

"What have you guys done so far?" Luke inquired.

"Well, including the science fairs, we've hacked into our governments systems," the A.I explained.

"So you haven't done much. ." Luke said.

"I am still a new invention of his. He built me a month ago, and has been building and inputting upgrades ever since. The latest being from the government."

"I see," Luke absentmindedly said. "So, when are you gonna get up? We have work to do," Luke asked.

"I'm sorry, but how am I suppose to help?" the A.I asked.

"Don't worry, Luke wasn't speaking to you. He meant me," Scott said as he got up from the cot.

"Good morning, sir. How are you today?"

"I'm fine, thank you," Scott said as he stretched his muscles, "How about you. Enjoying our new friend?"

"Luke here seems to be helpful, and polite," the A.I commented.

"Well that's good to know, you can go into standby mode if you'd like."

"Understood."

"Well, now that you're finally awake, we can get down to business. The parts came in early this morning, and you have been sleeping in." Luke stated as he walked over to a crate and opened it with a crowbar.

Scott walked over to the open crate and looked inside, "Just looks like a bunch of scrap metal right now."

"Si, but that scrap metal will become your own personal IS," Luke commented as he tossed a crowbar to Scott, "Now help me open the rest and let's get on it."

Scott took the crowbar and used it to open half of the crates while Luke opened the rest. Once they were all open the two men organized the pieces. After that Scott went to the workbench to sketch a design of his IS. He was having trouble figuring out what he wanted, resulting in the floor around his workspace to be littered with crumpled paper balls. While Scott was trying to figure out a design he liked, Luke went back inside the house to help his mother, since she was ill and needed to take medication at set intervals. Scott gave up by the time it was noon, so he took his necklace which he placed on the workbench and left the warehouse slightly frustrated. He entered the house after knocking and was greeted by Luke.

"So, how's the design coming along?" Luke asked.

"Not good, I can't think of a design that I like," Scott explained.

"I see, well, since you're here. I'd like to introduce you to my mother," Luke said as he led Scott to the living room where his mother was sitting in the recliner. She was wearing simple clothing, but her frail body frame was evident, and Luke told him that she usually needs help to get around the place. She had long brown hair and green eyes, accompanied by one of the friendliest smiles Scott had seen.

"Mom, this is Scott Stalker, a new friend of mine," Luke pushed Scott lightly towards his mother, and he gently shook her hand, knowing that she's frail, despite her relatively young age.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you Mrs. Santi. Your son is very talented, both in mind and body," Scott greeted her.

"Ah, it's nice to meet one of my son's friends. Luke told me that you'll be staying with us for a while. I hope you enjoy your time here," Mrs. Santi greeted.

"No, thank you for having me here, it's nice of you to let me stay. And you're son has been helpful so far."

Luke came back with a cup of coffee in his hands and handed it to Scott, "I thought you might want a cup."

"Thanks. It might help me with figuring out my design," Scott said as he took a seat in the dining room. He took out the pendant and played with it in his hand, twirling it and such.

Luke came up to Scott and placed a plate of food on the table, "You slept in so it's a bit cold, but at least it's something."

Scott looked at the plate, and it was a couple fried eggs with bacon and buttered toast, "Nah, it's alright. I haven't eaten anything since my flight."

"Can I ask what that pendant is?" Luke asked as he sat down with Scott, "I haven't known you for very long, but I've already noticed you play with it a few times already."

"Oh, this?" Scott held the phoenix pendant up, "Yeah, uh, it was a present my mother gave me for my eleventh birthday. Since then, I've always kind of stared at it whenever I'm stuck on a problem, thinking it'd tell me the answer."

"Can I ask how she's doing?" Luke inquired in a curious tone, to which Scott looked at him with a somber expression. "Oh," he said.

"She died the night she gave it to me. A car accident, they told me. Some drunk ran her over by accident and drove off," Scott explained as he continued to look at his pendant. "This is the only thing I have left of her. We moved away shortly after the accident, and my Dad retired from his job. . . Since then, I've always kept this on me."

* * *

 **Flashback - Four Years Ago (Scott's eleventh Birthday)**

"Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday dear Scott!" Scott's parents sang as he impatiently waited so he could blow out the candles.

When they finished he took a second to make a wish then blew out all the candles, "Yay!" His parents cheered.

Scott's mother came up to him with a small box that was neatly wrapped and handed it to him, "Happy birthday son!"

"Go on, open it," Hugh said as he got the camera ready.

Scott quickly unwrapped the box and held up a cool looking gold pendant that resembled a phoenix, "Thanks Mom! I love it!" He hugged her as his father took pictures of them.

"So, what did you wish for?" Hugh asked in an excited tone.

"I wished for my own IS when I grow up!" Scott cheerfully shared his wish.

Both his parents gave each other a knowing look before his mother turned to him and smiled, "One day. ."

After that, they cut up the cake and ate a piece each, chatting and having fun. When they finished that, Scott said he wanted to watch a movie, so all three laid on the couch and watched a movie of his choice.

His mom's phone started ringing and she picked it up as she got off the couch and went into the kitchen, "Yes, hello?"

Minutes later she came back and apologized, "Sorry son, but Mom has to go back to work. I hope you had a fun birthday," She came up and kissed Hugh on the cheek and hugged Scott, before she left.

"Dad, why is Mom never around?" Scott asked out of the blue.

Hugh took a moment to reply, "Because she's a business traveler. Her work requires her to travel a lot."

"Oh," Scott said.

"Hey cheer up kiddo, she bought that necklace for you on one of her travels. The moment she saw it, she thought of you," Hugh tried cheering his son up.

For the rest of the night, Scott examined the necklace, until he fell asleep.

The next morning his father got a call from the hospital. An accident happened, and he was asked to come check it out. Hugh ended up bringing Scott along, when they got there, they went to the basement area and into the morgue, where Scott was told to wait outside.

Not knowing where he was, and considering how long his father was taking, Scott opened the door where his father entered. He saw his mother on a table, with severe cuts and bruises, and her skin was pale. "Dad? What happened to Mom?" He asked looking at her worriedly.

Hugh turned quickly turned to see his son standing in the doorway staring at his dead mother, "Scott! What did I tell you?!" He scolded as he brought him back outside, "Give me five more minutes okay. five more, then I'll come back out."

Scott held his head low for disobeying his father, "Okay."

Ten minutes past, and Hugh finally came out with a doctor and knelt in front of Scott, "Hey kiddo. . There's something that I need to tell you. It's about Mom." He slightly choked on his own words.

Scott looked up at his father, "Is she okay? She's alright?"

Hugh took a deep breath in as tears started forming in his eyes, "You see, Mom is no longer with us. ." Hugh trailed off as it was too much for him.

Scott's eyes just examined his father, "What do you mean she's gone? I just saw her! Why are you crying Dad?!"

The doctor stepped in as his father was in the middle of a break down, "Hey, Scott. You're Dad's feeling down right now. Take it easy on him. What he means by that is; you're mother was. ." they paused trying to find a way to lighten the blow, ". . You're mother was hurt in an accident, and didn't make it."

Scott just looked between the doctor and his father as he put the pieces together, "No! That can't be! I just saw her last night!" Scott yelled in frustration, as he started breathing rapidly.

"Scott, calm down. It's alright, things are being dealt with," the doctor tried calming him down, but failed to as Scott started hyperventilating.

"She. . can't. . we ha-. . I. ." Scott couldn't take it and passed out from the shock.

* * *

 **Flashback End - Present Day**

"I couldn't take the news, and ended up passing out. The next day I woke up in a hospital bed with the pendant in my hand and my father holding mine as he slept beside me, on a chair. I can only imagine how worried my father was. He knew I wasn't going to die, but he probably felt terrible for dropping the news on me like that, which caused me to pass out," Scott explained. "Once I 'recovered' he told me what the doctors told him, the cause of death was a car accident, most likely a drunk, based off of the skid marks. Before my mother was killed I took everything for granted, and lived my life without a care in the world. I mean, I still somewhat have that carefree attitude, but I don't take things for granted, even though it may seem like I do sometimes. Shortly after the accident my Dad retired as a scientist and we moved to a different location. From there I started pursuing what I love, and surprise surprise; it's science and math. Then he started training me, and now I'm here, four years later. Funny how the universe works."

"I'm sorry to hear about that," Luke said in a quiet tone.

"Don't be, it's all in the past. I'm here to live in the future," Scott said as he finished eating his food. "But, I do think you just helped me," he said as he got up from the table and brought his coffee with him as he went back to the warehouse.

Scott went to the workbench and started sketching out a design of an IS that resembled a phoenix. Once he finished he held it up to the light and saw the puzzle come together, which showed an IS that had arms pieces with hands that resembled claws, and a full helmet which would cover the pilot's head completely and the chin part was slightly pointed outwards, making it resemble a small beak. The leg didn't really resemble a bird, but the wings were very detailed and actually looked like an eagle's wings, only metallic. The torso area had armour cover the pilot's abdomen and chest with the pieces jutted outward in a V shape.

Scott then got to work on colouring it, and made the primary colour dark orange and the secondary a dark red. The legs and arms were dark orange, while the torso was dark red on the bottom half and dark orange on the top. The hands were dark red, as was the base (or skeleton) of the wings, while the "feathers" were dark orange. The helmet was dark orange, and the visor was black.

Once he was finished with the design, Scott was surprised to see Luke looking over his shoulder, "Not bad. Looks cool, kind of like Falco," he commented.

"It wasn't my intention for it to look similar. I based the design off of a phoenix," Scott tried reasoning.

"I know, don't worry. Now let's get on with building this beauty, and then programming it."

Both Scott and Luke got to work on assembling Phoenix, as it was named, for the rest of day. Which they mainly focused on the smaller parts as they were the easiest and quickest to assemble. By the end of it, they managed to build and calibrate the torso piece and helmet, both unpainted.

"That's it for today, I'm going go to bed okay. See you tomorrow," Luke said as he left the warehouse for the night.

Scott walked over to the workbench with helmet and inspected it, then looked at his A.I, "Hey, how would you like to have the ultimate pair of eyes?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't quite follow," the A.I replied.

"What I mean is, once I'm done building my IS, I can integrate you into it's systems. You'll have the best pair of eyes I could give you," Scott explained.

Moments passed before his A.I responded, "Looking through the internet, I see IS's are advanced pieces of machinery. So, to answer your question, I wouldn't mind being integrated in the IS."

Scott grinned, "Then how does the name, Phoenix, sound to you?"

"It sound like a nice name, though I fail to see the reason behind the question."

Scott sighed slightly, "I was asking, because I was thinking of naming you Phoenix, just like the suit."

"I see. ."

"So, how would you like the name Phoenix?" Scott asked again.

"It's an acceptable name," the A.I replied.

"I'll take that as a yes, then," Scott said as he laid down in the cot and fell asleep.

* * *

For the next six weeks, Scott and Luke were building and programming Phoenix. Along with all of this, Scott kept up with his basic training, and Luke would occasionally watch. And whenever he could, Scott would take the time to sit down and study the coding and programming for an IS, with the exception that he wasn't allowed to study the core. By the end of all the programming, Scott modified his helmet, so it could hold his A.I chip, Phoenix. Just as the assembly of his IS was complete, Scott's weapons that he ordered came in. A semi-automatic L1A1 rifle, two Colt 1911's, and a Kusarigama with an extended chain length. (A/N: for those who don't know what a Kusarigama is, it's basically a sickle with a chain attached to the bottom of the pommel, and at the end of that chain is a small weight. It's usually used to defend or disable, but can also be used as a weapon if the user is skilled enough). Once the IS was finished, Scott spent another month learning how to move around in an IS, as well as use his weapons efficiently. By the end of it, Scott knew the basic maneuvers and such.

Scott put on his backpack, and necklace, "So, I guess I'm going now."

"Yeah, it was fun meeting you. Come visit me anytime," Luke said as both of them left the warehouse.

Scott pushed Luke's shoulder, "Why don't you come to the academy with me?"

"You're going there?" He asked.

Scott scratched his head, "Well yeah. I didn't plan this out very well. I can't take a flight home since I'm under-aged, and I sent my Dad back already. So the only way back for me is by flying Phoenix there, and my government will confront me when I do."

"Right. Maybe next time you should clearly plan it out, rather than wing it," Luke advised.

Scott laughed, "Yes, I will keep that in mind for next time." His face became somewhat serious, "Tell your mother that it was nice of her to let me stay here. And it was nice to get to know you both."

Luke smiled, "I will don't worry, and I'm glad that you came to meet me. It gave me something fun to do. As for joining you in the academy, I'll pass. Building my IS was just a challenge I gave myself," he explained.

"Well alright, but the offer stands. I don't mind stepping down to third place if you ever change your mind," Scott said.

"Scott, if you want to make it home by dinner, we'll have to leave now," Phoenix advised through an earpiece Scott made, so Phoenix could speak to him even when he's not in the IS.

"Right. Well, I'm off. See you around Luke," Scott said as he deployed Phoenix and flew off.

He stayed above the clouds and deployed his helmet so the wind didn't hit his face. Phoenix planned out the route, but it took longer than expected, because Scott had to dodge air patrols throughout Europe and all of Canada, since he lived on the Pacific side. By the time he reached his place, it was getting dark and Scott landed outside of his city, dismissing Phoenix and walked home. The only noticeable, or rather unnoticeable, change to Scott's appearance was a small ear piece in his right ear, other than that he seemed normal, since his necklace became his IS' standby mode.

Scott got to his house and quietly opened the door and shut it behind him. Then went into the kitchen and took some snacks to bring to his room, where he ate the food, and then slept.

The next morning he woke up early, still used to his morning routine back in Italy and went into the kitchen and made himself breakfast, while his father was in the shower. He quickly ate his food, got dressed, and was about to leave when his father came out of the bathroom.

"Who's there?" He asked.

"It's me. I'm off to school, okay. Love you Dad," Scott said as he peeked his head around the corner before leaving.

Hugh went back into the bathroom, "Oh, okay. . ." before he came running back out, "Wait, what?!" But Scott already left, causing Hugh to think he was seeing things.

* * *

After that morning, Scott was forced to do the grueling training his father promised, because Scott pretty much ditched Hugh. Not only that but he had to continue with the harsh training while catching up on his schoolwork. After all of that, they managed to go back into their old routine, until one morning; a week after Scott's return.

Scott was up early, tired and sore from the training, and was busy making coffee for him and his father, when he heard a knock on the door.

 _"Who the hell is here at this time?"_ Scott thought.

He answered the door, "Who's there?" Scott asked.

A blonde woman, wearing a black suit and skirt, with sunglasses greeted Scott, "Hi there. My name's Susan Smith. May I come in?"

 _"Oh yeah, now you come. AFTER all the hard training and catching up I had to do."_ Scott scowled at the woman.

Hugh came out from his room, "Who is it?"

Scott turned around to face his father, "It's the government. You see, there's something I need to speak to you about," He said as he let the government agent in.

"Uh-huh," Hugh gave a confused look.

The woman only smiled at Hugh, who scowled at her, before going to get his coffee.

"This way," Scott told her as he went into the living room. Hugh came out with both mugs and handed Scott his, "So, do you mind telling me why the government is here?" He asked while looking at Scott.

"Oh, I thought you already knew," Susan commented as she looked between the two.

"Yeah, no. Anyways would you like coffee?" Scott asked.

"Black is fine," She replied, to which Scott got up and left.

The woman gave a smile as she looked at Hugh, "Long time no see, huh?"

Hugh scowled at her, "Did you contact him?"

"No, of course not. This is the first time I'm meeting him, but it's nice seeing you," Susan replied.

"And exactly why are you here? I thought I said I quit," Hugh wasn't pleased with the woman's sudden appearance.

Scott came back out with another mug of coffee and handed it to the woman before sitting beside his father. "So Dad. I've been unable to find a way to tell you, without you possibly freaking out," Scott leaned closer to his father and whispered, "But while I was in Italy I made an IS."

Hugh looked at his son, before looking back at Susan, "Wait, so you can pilot an IS?" he asked, seemingly unfazed by the fact that his son _made_ an IS.

Scott smiled at him before he deployed the helmet and torso piece, "Yup, and that's not all," Scott grinned as he made the black visor disappear, "I integrated my A.I into it, and named him Phoenix." (A/N: If you want to know what his helmet looks like; It's basically a dark orange Halo EVA helmet, with a retractable visor).

Hugh was lost for words as he watched his son. Moments passed before he finally spoke, "What?! Why an IS?"

Scott was slightly startled from his father's outburst, "Well, I've always wanted one. And I've finally managed to make one for myself," Scott explained as he stretched the truth, knowing that Luke doesn't really want attention from the press.

Hugh rubbed his temple as he tried piecing the situation, "I know that, but couldn't you have told me a little sooner?" He looked over at Susan, "So I'm assuming you're here to ask if we're willing to make him a representative contender for Canada?"

Susan nodded her head as she took a drink from her mug, "Of course. All you two have to do is sign a few papers, then you'll receive several benefits while Scott is transferred to the IS Academy in Japan," Susan explained as she took out a pile of paperwork. "So what will it be?" She asked, looking between the two.

Scott took the papers and went over them before handing it to his father. There was a lot of legal terms and such that Scott didn't really care for, but what caught his attention was the salary and a form saying that Scott gives all rights of his IS to the government for research purposes, while he is still allowed to hold on to and pilot it.

Scott drank the rest of his coffee before answering her question, "I'll sign these papers, as long as I'm allowed to keep ownership of Phoenix. I was the one who created and designed him, so I'm not going to hand him over to the government. Especially when my A.I is integrated in it," he explained in a cool manner.

Susan thought for a moment, "That's fine by me. But we still want to collect data on Phoenix," as soon as she agreed Scott ripped the form that required him to hand over ownership. This action slightly surprised her as she did not expect him to tear it in half.

Hugh spoke up as he finished reading the terms, "I'm fine with signing this as long as Scott is."

Scott turned to look at his father in surprise, "Really? That's awesome, I definitely don't mind signing them." He then grabbed a pen and wrote his signature before handing it to his father, who did the same.

"Alright then, Scott I'll need you to go pack as we're leaving immediately," Susan informed the ecstatic teenager.

Scott quickly left the room to go pack, leaving Hugh alone with Susan, "We can add security if that's what you're worried about," Susan commented.

Hugh sighed, "That's not what I'm really worried about."

"Oh? So, is it _him_ you're worried about?" Susan asked casually.

"Of course," Hugh replied as he continued to drink from his mug.

Susan gave a faint smile, "Isn't it ironic that the one you quit for, is the one to drag you back in?"

Hugh just glared at her.

Moments later Scott came back out with a full backpack, and luggage case, "Alright, I'm all set. When do we leave?" He asked excitedly.

"We have a flight in five hours, you can go on ahead and put your belongings in the back, the driver will assist you." Susan replied as she got up from her seat. She took the paperwork with her, and as she was about to leave, Hugh called out to her, "I'll take you up on that offer."

Susan turned to look at him with a smile, "Alright."

* * *

Scott got out of the black SUV, and walked into an elevator with the blonde woman and a guard. He was currently at a government bunker which was four hours away from his city, although they did drive pretty fast to get there.

"So where exactly are we going?" Scott asked as he watched the floor number decrease.

"To get you a uniform for school. The IS academy requires you to wear one," Susan explained before the door opened and all three walked out.

Susan walked over to a wall and pressed a button which opened a portion of said wall, inside was a small rack of clothing, (IS academy uniforms like Ichika's). "Here you can select a size that fits you best, and we will give you extras after. Behind you is a change room for you to use," Susan explained.

Scott looked at the sizes and found his, thirty-two/thirty-two for the waist, large for the shirt, and ten for the shoes. He took the uniform into the change room and put them on, when he finished he looked in the mirror provided and found that it looked good, but he didn't like the blue tie. Scott came out of the room, "Do you guys have this tie in orange, like sunset orange?" he asked.

Susan looked within another rack inside the wall, and later came out with an orange tie, "Like this?" She asked. "Yes," Scott replied as he took it.

He went back in and replaced the ties, and looked in the mirror again, this time feeling satisfied with it. He came back out and told her that he's good.

"Alright, there's a few more things we need before we leave. Come over here and pick out an IS suit that you like, it'll be the garments you wear when piloting your IS," the woman explained.

Scott took a quick look, and choose a black vest and shorts with maroon outlining. After he chose that, Susan came back with a pile of books. Some of which Scott recognized, since he studied them while living with Luke. They were the IS academy textbooks, rules and regulations books. "These are for you to study at the Academy," Susan said as she handed them to him.

"Yes, I'm familiar with most of them, since I used these to help me design Phoenix," Scott commented as he discarded the unnecessary ones. His big pile was reduced into a small handful. "Is that everything I need?" Scott asked as he put his books in his backpack.

"Yes, now if you come with me we're going back up top."

They all re-entered the elevator and when Scott exited he noticed that a private jet was now waiting on the small airstrip, "Are we taking that to the Academy?" Scott asked, surprised.

"Of course, it's much faster than a commercial flight," Susan explained as they walked towards the jet. The guard opened the door and let them enter, then closed it from behind and backed away so the jet could take off.

"Wow, I've never flown inside a private jet before," Scott murmured as he took his seat in a fancy chair. On the table there was a small menu of snacks which he looked over, but put back down.

Susan took her seat across from Scott and took out a small paper and handed it to him, "This is your schedule. Keep it with you."

Scott looked at it and calculated the times, "Wait, it says here my class starts in three hours? Aren't we going to be late, considering the time it'll take to land and drive there?" He asked.

"You're pretty smart. Don't worry you'll make it on time," Susan said in a confident tone.

Scott looked at her questioningly before deciding to study his new books.

"So, how's your A.I been since the science fair?" Susan asked.

Scott was shocked she knew of Phoenix, "How do you know about that?"

Susan smiled as she looked out the window of the plane, "I was the one who donated the money."

Scott's eyes widened, "You've been spying on me this entire time?"

"I wouldn't say 'spying', more like 'observing', until you went to Italy. But how is your A.I now?"

"He's good, not that it's any of your business," Scott retorted.

"Oh," Susan turned to look at Scott, "So, breaking into our government's database and stealing valuable data is none of my business?"

Scott nearly choked on his own spit, "Well. . I prefer to use the word 'borrowed.'"

A couple hours later the pilot gave Susan an update, "We're coming up to the drop off, you better get ready," He said.

Susan nodded as Scott had a confused look, "What. . did he mean by that?"

"Just pack your things and get ready, then come stand beside me," Susan ordered as she walked over to the outer door.

Scott did as he was told and had his belongings with him. The pilot gave Susan the green light, and she opened the door, causing the air pressure to enter the jet. "Now you're going to have to jump, and deploy your IS! I'll come along with you, just in case your IS malfunctions!" Susan shouted over all the noise.

Scott's face went pale as he realized what was happening, "Are you fucking crazy?! I'm jumping out of a jet at a high altitude?!"

Susan grinned, "That's the plan!" she shouted before pushing Scott out of the plane, following him shortly after.

 _"Jesus Christ! This wasn't apart of the deal!"_ Scott shouted within his mind.

He was falling fast, and had to do something. He let go of his luggage for a moment and deployed Phoenix, then glided over to his luggage case and took hold of it. His helmet formed around his head and his systems went online as he passed through the clouds allowing the IS Academy to come into view. It was massive as it was on an Island and had many different buildings and arenas spread across it, with a big tower in the middle of all of it. Scott managed to calm down and focused on the task at hand, which was landing without dying. Soon Susan appeared beside him with a grin on her face, "Beautiful isn't it?" She asked on the intercom.

"Yeah," Scott agreed absentmindedly as he looked at the Academy below. On his HUD, Scott's altitude appeared, and the number was dropping fast.

"Sir, we're closing in fast, I'd advise you to activate your thrusters now," Phoenix said through his helmet.

"Yeah, yeah. I got it, just hold on a minute," Scott replied. He kept freefalling, enjoying the rush of adrenaline, as the ground grew bigger and bigger, eventually causing a warning alert to appear in Scott's field of view. "Sir, we're going to crash at this rate if you don't activate the thrusters," Phoenix warned.

Susan had already activated hers as she disappeared from Scott's view as he continued to freefall. He finally activated his thruster five-hundred meters from the ground, and thrust himself forward and up, causing him to barely miss the ground as he hovered over it before landing. He dismissed Phoenix and put his luggage on the ground as he stood in front of an Academy building.

"That. . was awesome!" Scott shouted, pumping his fist in the air as he jumped, feeling exhilarated.

Susan landed beside him, "You've got some serious guts kid," Susan said as she dismissed her IS.

Scott turned to her with an unbelievably ecstatic attitude, "Can we do that again?"

Her expression became serious as she looked at the time, "I'm afraid not, as you're going to be late for class if you don't hurry up. I'll take you luggage and backpack to your dorm room for you," Susan explained as she held her hand out to take Scott's belongings.

Scott handed the luggage case and his backpack to her and went inside the large building. It was practically dead in the halls as class was about to begin, and the place seemed somewhat like a maze to him. He only had his schedule to help with finding his class, "Phoenix, can you scan the building, and find my room for me," Scott asked as he looked at the paper.

"I'm on it. ." Phoenix replied as he got to work, "Found it. You're homeroom is in the next building to your right, on the second floor."

"Thanks Phoenix," Scott said as he sprinted to his new classroom. When he got there, he saw a tall woman with black hair, and brown eyes, wearing a black suit walking towards the same room.

She stopped to greet him outside, "Ah, you must be the new transfer student, Scott Stalker, right?" She asked.

Scott looked at her, "Yes, are you the teacher?"

She gave him a smile, "Yes, I'm Chifuyu Orimura, and I'll be your homeroom teacher for the year. Wait outside until I call you in, okay." With that the woman entered the classroom as Scott did as he was told.

Scott stood outside and gave himself a pep talk before he was called in, _"Alright Scott, don't do anything stupid. Just walk in there and greet yourself, and give a short speech to the class,"_ he thought. Then he tensed up, _"Wait?! I forgot this Academy is an all-girls school! Crap, how do I look?. . No, damn it! I shouldn't worry about that, I came here to learn about the IS, and compete in tournaments, not find a date!"_ Scott ended up pacing back and forth as he waited impatiently, stopping briefly to look in the reflection of one of the windows. "Sir, I don't think you should be worrying about how you'll look for the girls," Phoenix commented.

"Can you please not read my thoughts Phoenix, those are kind of private," Scott asked.

"Sorry, it's just natural, since I'm directly linked to your conscience," Phoenix apologized.

"Yeah, yeah. It has it's ups and downs, one being you read _all_ my thoughts."

Scott heard Chifuyu call him in, and he tensed for a moment before he opened the door to the classroom and walked up to the front. He could feel the stares as he entered the room, once he was in the middle of the classroom, he turned to face his new classmates, "Hello. I'm Scott Stalker, but you may call me Scott. I'm Canada's representative contender. It's nice to meet you all, and I hope we can all get along throughout the year," Scott gave a short introduction.

He looked around the classroom, and found Ichika, whom he seen on TV. But Scott felt the stare of his classmates, they didn't react like he expected. Instead of a warm welcome, he was greeted by a mix of suspicious glares, quiet whispers, and ogling eyes.

"Alright, Stalker you may take your seat beside Orimura. As for the subject we're on, you don't have to participate as you're probably behind," Chifuyu said as she stepped aside, so Miss Yamada could take over.

Scott walked over to Ichika and took his seat, which was to the right of Orimura. He looked at the teacher in front of him and if it weren't for the different clothing, he would've mistaken her as a classmate. She was short and wore a yellow dress. She had short green hair, and wore glasses accompanied by green eyes. She didn't seem to give off a mature vibe like Chifuyu and Susan did, instead she seemed timid and nervous.

Throughout the class Scott mainly observed his classmates, since he didn't have his books with him. Which brought him to the thought of which room he was in, regarding the dorm. He took out the paper from his pocket and looked for an indication, and luckily it also had his dorm room number on it; Room 1025.

 _"Phoenix, can you check the school's database and find out who my roommate is? I have a pretty good idea who it is, but I just want to make sure,"_ Scott asked.

Phoenix obliged and spoke moments later through Scott's earpiece, "You're roommate for this year is Ichika Orimura, in room ten-twenty-five."

 _"Thanks."_ Scott thanked Phoenix before turning his attention to the lecture, where Miss Yamada was explaining some of the IS's functions, one being the ignition boost, and how it's used, "The ignition boost is an option in an IS where the pilot can charge at their target at a very high speed, making it a sort of surprise attack. It's great if you want to close the distance between your target and land a direct blow. But there are some setbacks to it, one being that it uses up your shield energy, and another being that the pilot can only charge in a straight line otherwise the IS will be put under unnecessary pressure that could cause a fracture in the armour. But due note, the ignition boost is not found in all IS'; only personal IS' are equip with it. This is because the government believed it could be dangerous if the standard IS machines we use for practice were equip with them," Miss Yamada explained as the class took notes.

Scott understood that, as he studied the designs of the IS while in Italy. Scott continued to pay attention as the class went on. Eventually class ended and Scott turned to speak with Ichika, "Hey, it's nice to meet you. I'm Scott Stalker, but you can call me Scott. I'm going to be your new roommate."

Ichika turned to Scott, "Yeah, I'm Ichika Oimura, but you can call me Ichika. . So you can pilot an IS as well?"

"Yes. So what are we doing next?" Scott asked as he looked at his paper.

"We're actually on lunch break right now. After that we're onto practical training with Miss Orimura," Ichika explained before he was surrounded by girls.

"Right. ." Scott looked at the girls with Ichika, and noticed they seemed quite familiar with him. He got up from his seat and turned to Ichika, "I guess I'll see you in the cafeteria then," Scott said as he was leaving the classroom.

Ichika tried reaching Scott, but the girls, specifically Charlotte, Houki, Cecelia, and Laura were in his way and bothering him. So Scott left the classroom and didn't really know where to go, "Phoenix, some help would be nice," he said as he looked at the signs in the hallways for directions. Along the way to the cafeteria, Scott was quickly swarmed by a bunch of girls. He didn't want to deal with them at the moment, so Scott made a mad dash for it and ran down the stairs, but he was cut off by more girls waiting for him downstairs causing him to be surrounded by girls and couldn't squeeze in between them to escape.

"You're a guy?"

"Are you single?"

"What's your favourite food?" Were some of the questions they bombarded him with as he tried escaping their grasp. But the rumour quickly spread throughout the school and the number of girls near him increased, making it impossible for him to escape. Scott was slowly crushed, "Hold on. . I can't breathe. . Stop it!" Scott tried speaking, but couldn't. Shortly after, he felt someone grasp his hand and they pulled him out, as the girls around dispersed. Scott looked up to see Ichika and the girls from earlier, who had come to save him.

"I tried reaching you before you left the class, to tell you that about this, but I was caught up," Ichika said as he lifted Scott to his feet.

Scott brushed the dust off his uniform, "Thanks. So you want to eat together?"

"Sure, but they're coming along with us," Ichika pointed to the five girls suspiciously glaring at him.

Scott was a little unnerved by their stares, "Right. ."

* * *

They were all at the cafeteria eating lunch. Ichika and Scott were at one booth while Houki, Charlotte, Laura, Cecelia, and Rin were in the next one over; all staring at the two, specifically Scott.

"So you're from Canada?" Ichika asked as he ate his daily lunch special.

"Yes. How about you? Born and raised in Japan I assume," Scott replied while he ate his lunch.

"Yep, but enough of that. You can pilot an IS too? Could I see?" Ichika inquired.

Scott puffed his chest out, "Yep," he then looked over at the girls and leaned closer to Ichika so he could whisper, "But, uh, are _they_ always like that?"

Ichika looked over at his friends then turned back to Scott, "Yeah. . you'll eventually get used to it."

"I hope so, they're faces are quite scary. ." Scott went back to eating, "Oh right. About my IS, of course you can see it. Maybe during practice, or later on after school," he explained cheerfully.

Ichika smiled, "Alright. We can have a mock battle after school."

The next moment, Cecelia and Houki were the ones brave enough to confront Ichika and Scott, "So is it true that you can pilot an IS as a guy?" Cecelia asked as she crossed her arms.

Scott grinned, "Of course. I wouldn't be here if I couldn't, now would I."

Houki also crossed her arms as she grunted, "But that's not the point!"

Scott was slightly confused as to what they meant, "The point being?"

Both Cecelia and Houki tensed up in embarrassment, unable to speak. Instead Laura got up from her seat and stood in front of Scott, albeit a table between them, "We're curious as to if you're really a guy, isn't zhat correct?" Laura looked between Houki and Cecelia, who nodded while Charlotte and Rin agreed as well. Ichika on the other hand was also kind of curious, but decided to give Scott the benefit of doubt.

Scott's facial expression went from confused to completely confused, "Are you serious?! How would I be a girl? I sound like a guy, I look like one, I'm as tall as one. How, how do you think I'm girl?" Scott questioned.

Ichika chimed in this time, "Well. . It's because my last roommate, which was a guy named Charles, turned out to be a girl, that's why they're questioning you."

Scott turned to look at Ichika, "Wait are you serious?! When did this happen?" he asked, slightly amused.

Charlotte slowly and embarrassingly raised her hand, "I was the one who dressed as a boy."

Scott examined her before speaking, "Hm, I could see you looking like a guy, but can I ask why you did it?"

"I'd rather not talk about it," Charlotte replied looking away as she was embarrassed, with a red face.

Cecelia slammed her hands against the tabletop, "So! Are you or are you not a boy?!"

"Calm down there. I can assure you that I am one hundred percent male," Scott raised his hands in defense.

"Humph!" Was the response the girls gave him, still doubting Scott's word. Then the bell rang and they went to pick up their trays and return them, while Ichika took hold of Scott's hand and started dragging him.

"Hold on, I can run," Scott said as he pulled his hand away and ran beside Ichika.

"Sorry, but we need to beat the girls to change room, unless you want to be changing with them," Ichika apologized as they ran to the locker rooms.

"Oh," Scott said as he ran. Then a grin crossed his face as he thought about that possible incident. "Sir, I can read your thoughts remember. Something like that is unnecessary for me to see," Phoenix commented in the earpiece.

 _"Shut up Phoenix, if you don't want to see them, then don't read every thought of mine."_

"You do know that's impossible, unless you disconnect me from the IS," Phoenix stated.

Scott just sighed at Phoenix's point, "What's the matter?" Ichika asked as they reached the locker rooms.

"Oh, it's nothing," Scott replied as they changed into their IS suits.

Both Ichika and Scott entered the arena, "Couldn't they have made these a wee bit less tight. It's like I'm wearing spandex here," Scott complained as he shifted uncomfortably in his suit.

Ichika rolled his eyes, "Welcome to my world."

Shortly after his comment, all the girls came flooding out along with the teachers. Miss Orimura, in her jogging suit, blew her whistle and everyone hurried into formation, waiting for today's instructions.

"Alright, listen up. Today we're practicing how to fly properly, and we'll have a volunteer with a personal IS demonstrate it for us. For those of you who aren't doing the demonstration; pay attention, even if you have a personal IS. Now which of you would like to volunteer?" Chifuyu looked towards Ichika, Cecelia, Charlotte, and Laura. Then her eyes fell upon Scott, "Stalker, you don't have to participate if you don't feel like you're up to it."

"No, I'm fine. I'll participate Ma'am," Scott gave a resolute reply.

She had a slight grin on her face as he replied, "Alright then, Stalker, Dunois, please step forward and summon your IS."

The entire class was surprised by her order, and started whispering; wondering if Scott could pilot an IS. Both Charlotte and Scott walked to the front and turned to face the class. Charlotte deployed her IS, Rafale Revive Custom two. It was painted orange, and had four thrusters in the back, forming two sets of wings, the arms were standard IS pieces, but the left forearm had a plate that looked like it was missing a piece, almost like it was a place holder for something. The legs were protruding at the knees, as if they were knee guards. Her chest was covered by armour as well as the lower area of her abdomen.

It was Scott's turn to deploy his IS, and everyone waited impatiently as he held his necklace. Light enveloped him and a second later, he was also in his IS suit. Scott's IS was slightly bigger that Charlotte's and was also orange with a secondary colour of dark red. His wings spread out wide and had intricate pieces of metal forming the resemblance of actual feathers and the skeleton of the wings were painted dark red. His legs were encased inside and the knees had a small spike protruding from each cap. His arms were like any other, as they formed around his forearm and extended out from his hands. His torso and abdomen were covered by the armour which formed in the shape a V, protruding around his body. He still hasn't deployed his helmet as it wasn't required at the moment.

Once everyone saw his IS, they all awed over it, commenting on what they liked about it and such. Once both IS' were deployed Chifuyu blew her whistle again, to gain everyone's attention, "Now, since they've deployed their machines. Let's watch them demonstrate how to properly fly in an IS," she explained while signaling the two to start.

Charlotte nodded and flew off soon followed by Scott, who deployed his helmet and kept up. Both pilots performed simple maneuvers to demonstrate to the class. While they were flying along Chifuyu spoke on the intercom, "Alright you two. I want you both to perform a power dive, then come to a complete stop."

"Understood," both pilots said in unison.

"Ladies first," Scott said as he spread an arm outwards in courtesy. Charlotte smiled at the gesture and then performed her power dive, safely landing on the ground.

 _"We managed to do it once, we can do it again right?"_

"There's a seventy-three percent chance you can perform it," Phoenix stated.

Scott dove towards the ground at a high speed, then like before, thrust forward and up just in time to hover above the ground before landing safely. Chifuyu wasn't expecting him to perform the maneuver so well causing her to smirk, impressed by his performance. The class was also shocked from his performance as most of the girls were whispering, "Where'd he learn to pilot an IS?"

"He's so good, I want him to teach me about the IS," were some of the comments they made, while Ichika and the girls stared in surprise.

After the demonstration by Charlotte and Scott, the whole class practiced flying properly, which was fairly easy for most of the girls since they've been practicing for a while. Ichika and the girls only became more curious of Scott and his capabilities. Once school ended, Scott and Ichika changed back into their uniforms and Ichika showed his new friend to their dorm room.

Ichika opened their dorm room door, "And this is where you'll be sleeping from now on. Your bed is on the farside," he explained as he laid down on his own bed.

Scott looked around the room, which was high standard; like living inside a four star hotel almost, but with bigger beds. There were two beds off to the left separated by a retractable divider, each side having it's own bedside table, and closet. To the right, just when one would walk in; is a small kitchen comprised of a small refrigerator, oven/stove accompanied by a counter with a sink and a couple cupboards above. Further into the room on the right side was a big desk which had two seats; a place for either studying and doing homework, or doing whatever one's hobby is, along with a computer screen and keyboard on each side. Scott opened the bathroom door which is immediately to the left when one enters the room, and found a shower with glass casing, counter with a sink and mirror, and a small bench to the right.

"Um, Ichika, how come there isn't a toilet in the bathroom?" Scott asked as he re-entered the bedroom.

Ichika got up from his bed, "That's because, since this is an all-girls academy; there's only restrooms at each end of the hallways. But that poses a problem for _us_ ," he explained.

"Yes, I realize that," Scott commented as he put away his clothing and such in his closet. Then he took out his laptop and device, placing them on his bedside table.

"So, how about that mock battle? Want to do it now, we still have some time," Ichika asked as he watched Scott organize his side of the room.

Scott stopped working, "Sure why not," he said as he got up and went for the door. Ichika followed and they made it to arena three. They're were few people practicing at the moment, so both men took their positions and summoned their IS'.

Ichika grinned, "Just so you know; I won't be going easy!"

Scott in turn also grinned, "I wouldn't want you to anyway. Shall we get started?" He asked as the people who were using the arena cleared the area.

"Of course," Ichika replied as he materialized Yukihira Nigata, readying it. Scott did the same with his Kusarigama as his helmet deployed.

"Your opponent is Ichika Orimura, who uses Byakushiki; a third generation IS. His main and only weapon is Yukihira Nigata, a sword which has the ability to wipe out their opponent in one hit with an attack called, 'Barrier disabling attack'. Orimura's Byakushiki is also able to activate it's One-Off ability even in first shift, much like yours. His One-Off ability is called 'Reiraku Byakuya', which can bypass energy-based abilities, even IS shields, making it a deadly weapon," Phoenix explained as they waited for the match to begin.

"So. . Don't get hit or I'm doomed? Got it," Scott commented.

"Basically."

The arena's stands somewhat filled up from the rumour of the two guys having a mock battle. Charlotte, Houki, Laura, Rin, and Cecelia were also within the stands waiting impatiently for the battle to begin.

The battle started and Ichika used his ignition boost to close the distance between him and Scott, who didn't expect it. Scott barely had enough time to bring his sickle up to block the attack. Scott pushed Ichika back and flew backwards to get some distance.

"I forgot to mention that Byakushiki also has an ignition boost," Phoenix said.

"Could've told me earlier," Scott commented as he swung the chain at Ichika, who dodged it and charged at him.

Scott sidestepped to avoid getting hit, and tried swinging his chain at Ichika again.

"If that's your only weapon, I'm going to win," Ichika said confidently as he dodged the chain.

Scott gritted his teeth, still not skilled enough with his weapon. He brought the sickle up again to block Ichika's attack and materialized "Mustang," one of his Colts, and used it to shoot at Ichika's side while he continued to hold back Ichika's sword. Ichika retreated to avoid being shot further as it depleted a small portion of his shield energy. Scott dismissed his Kusarigama as he still wasn't skilled enough to fully use it, then materialized "Sally," his second Colt.

Dual wielding his pistols Scott came into range of Ichika and started shooting him. Ichika was dodging most of the shots and activated Reiraku Byakuya and charged at Scott.

"That's Reiraku Byakuya," Phoenix commented as Ichika charged. Scott dodged the attack, summoned his L1A1, and started shooting at his opponent. He did his best to keep his distance from Ichika while he continued shooting.

Luckily for Ichika Scott's aim wasn't on par with Cecelia's or Charlotte's so he was able to dodge most of the bullets. Still, Ichika had to do something about the distance or Scott would win, even if his aim was mediocre.

Ichika studied the way Scott was attacking, and noticed that he would always sidestep to dodge Ichika's attacks. Depending on where Ichika approached, Scott would either sidestep to the left or right, with that knowledge Ichika could determine Scott's evasive maneuvers and attack him from there.

Scott ran out of ammo on his L1A1, so he summoned Mustang and Sally again. Ichika charged at him from the right, causing Scott to evade the attack by sidestepping to the right as he continued shooting Ichika, but the dark haired boy anticipated this and swerved so the left so he could face Scott. He came in close and landed a blow to Phoenix's midsection, destroying the shield barrier, and depleting all of Scott's shield energy.

Both men landed on the ground as the gang came up to them, "That was fun," Scott said.

"Yeah, it was. We should do it again some time," Ichika agreed.

"Maybe after I get better with my weapons. I'm still not used to them," Scott commented as they both dismissed their IS'.

"Ichika dear, that was splendid," Cecelia commented.

"It was okay," Laura gave her opinion.

"Hey, Cecelia or Charlotte could help you with your training, in regards to your weapons. They're far better shooters than me," Ichika suggested to Scott who was kind of down.

"Yeah, it'd be a great help, but it's up to them," Scott commented as he rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed.

Charlotte examined Scott before answering, "I could give you some tips on shooting, but you will need to wake up early everyday."

"I could do that. When do we start?"

"Tomorrow after school," Charlotte replied.

"Alright, thanks."

Houki finished speaking with Ichika and turned to Scott, "So, where exactly did you get your IS?"

"I, uh, made it myself, by using what I learned from studying some of the IS Academy books, as well as looking at the data of the current models," Scott explained. "Don't ask me how, because I won't explain."

It was Rin's turn to speak as she walked up to Scott, "Okay, but what generation is it then?"

"It's a fourth generation. I've added a few upgrades of my own to Phoenix, which I've yet to use," he answered.

"Fourth?!" All but Scott said in unison.

"But countries have only begun to make prototypes of third generation IS units," Laura stated.

"Well, I used the data from the third gens to make mine," Scott replied.

Cecelia cleared her throat to get everyone's attention, "Generations aside, you don't seem to be very skilled with an IS, as we thought you to be when you did the demonstration earlier. It's very misleading," she commented.

Scott laughed nervously, "Yeah, well I've mastered flying an IS to a good extent, but my combat skills still need tuning."

"Clearly," Cecelia said.

Ichika gave a crooked smile as he looked at Cecelia's egotistic attitude, "I think we should head back, and get changed for dinner. Then head to bed, we have stuff to do tomorrow," he said to Scott.

"Right," Scott said absentmindedly, as he paid too much attention to Cecelia's rather rude attitude towards him, causing him to be irritated.

Scott and Ichika both went back to their dorm room. "I think I'm going to pass this time, for dinner. I'm beat and want sleep," Scott said as he took his sleep attire out of his closet.

"Alright, I guess you'll be asleep by the time I come back from dinner, so good night," Ichika said as he finished putting his uniform back on after taking a shower.

"Yeah, good night. Have fun at dinner," Scott said as he laid in his new bed and fell asleep.

Ichika tensed, "Yeah. . I will."

* * *

Okay so, here's chapter three. I wanted to cover a lot of ground regarding my OC's which are Hugh, Scott, Phoenix, and Susan. I didn't include Luca, or Mrs. Santi because their rightful owner is **dicarten-ice** , who kindly let me use his OC in my story, and you should check out his story, "Infinite Stratos: The Tale of Luca Santi, Male Pilot". Also this is the longest freakin chapter I've written so far, for any of my stories, coming up to a 18.8k word count, with 10k being the longest until now. It's not really my goal to make huge chapters like these, but as I was writing I just watched the number steadily increase, to my amusement.

Now that you know my OC's I would like to hear your thoughts on them.

Regarding Scott's L1A1 and Kusarigama, I couldn't think of any cool names, so I wanted to see what you guys can come up with, that I could use. And the reference for his pistols should be obvious, but maybe that's just me.

Now, while I was writing this chapter, I actually got very sick of constantly typing in the name, "Scott" which is actually quite dear to me, so I'm thinking of writing the next chapter and on; in first person. You guys can tell me what you think about that.

 **Edit:** I forgot to mention, that when I was writing the scenes after Scott introduced himself, I slowly realized that it's basically like episode 2 (I believe) of season 1, which wasn't my intention, but I went with it. I hope it doesn't confuse any of you when I do actually move on with canon, which will be ep. 9 and on of season 1.

I'm pretty sure that's all I had to say, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. . Fav, follow, and review if you wish. I will see you all in the next chapter. Peace!


	4. Adjustments

So, After much thinking I've decided to keep writing the story in third person, because then I can keep it third person omniscient, (google it if you don't understand what that is, but considering that most people on this site have taken an adequate level of literature; I trust you know what it means. Ps: sorry if that came off as rude to you, not my intention). Even though writing this story in first person would be cool, I'd be switching from Ichika and Scott quite often. And since I do want some of the girls view points to stay in the story, first person would become a problem, in my opinion.

"Talking"

 _"Thoughts"_

* * *

 **Adjustments**

* * *

In dimly lit room sat a rather strange looking woman in a comfortable, yet odd looking chair. She had long purple-pink hair with a headband which had mechanical bunny ears on them. Her eyes were coloured pink, and she wore a frilly blue and white dress that went all the way down to her ankles.

The room she was in seemed like a maintenance room, as there were various computers and machines around her with large industrial wires running across the floors. Currently the woman was typing on a holographic keyboard at an unbelievably fast speed, and the only thing that could be heard was her typing.

Then a ringtone went off, and shortly after the woman spoke, "I know that ringtone!"

She stopped typing on the holographic computer and reached over to grab her handheld device, "Hi, hi! Hidy ho! This is Tabane Shinonono, everyone's favourite superstar!" Tabane said in an enthusiastic voice, lifting her left hand and making a sideways peace sign in front of her face.

On the other line, the girl who called grunted in frustration and was about to hang up, "Grrr!"

"No, no! Hold on sweetie, don't hang up on me Houki!" Tabane pleaded.

Houki placed her cellphone back to her ear as she calmed down, "Hey Sis."

"Hey to you too, lil Sis. Yeah, yeah. I already know what you're calling about. You want one don't you? Your own personal unit." Tabane responded.

"Of course, I have one ready. It's overspec with high-end capabilities, it'll stand toe-to-toe with the Byaku. Umhm, this IS unit is known as Akatsubaki!" Tabane explained in an enthusiastic tone as she looked over her shoulder and a light turned on revealing a red and black IS in it's default form.

* * *

It was bright and sunny out, early in the morning as light shone through the blinds of room 1025. Scott pulled the sheets over his face to block the sunlight out as it was too early for him to wake up.

Meanwhile over on Ichika's side, he was currently sleeping, until he felt something move in his bed. He opened his eyes, and tensed from the movement. He didn't remember having someone over, yet someone was in his bed with him. He felt them cross their legs with his, and hear them moan sleepily.

He started sweating and jumped up as he shouted in surprise. Ichika lift the bedsheet to reveal Laura's face, she was still wearing her eyepatch, but had nothing to cover her chest. Ichika then pulled the bedsheet off of his legs and found hers to there too, with nothing covering them. Seeing as there was a girl in bed with him, Ichika screamed in shock, waking up Scott.

"Hey, can you shut it! I'm trying to sleep here. It's the only day I have off from training with Charlotte!" Scott complained as he put his pillow over his head.

Laura got up from her sleep, and rubbed her eyes, "Hang on. Is it morning?" She asked.

Ichika still had a look of shock on his face, "When did you get in here?!"

Laura straightened her back and the sheet covering her body fell, revealing her naked body. Ichika panicked at the sight and covered his face, "Ugh! Not looking! Cover up, cover up!" He asked.

"But I have always heard there aren't suppose to be any secrets in a healthy marriage," Laura commented as she leaned closer to Ichika. "You haven't forgot I made you my bride?"

"Bride?! What the hell are you talking about?!" Ichika exclaimed as he looked her in the eyes.

"Well, in Japan, if there's someone you like you're suppose to call them, 'My bride' or, 'One's bride', isn't that correct?" Laura asked, unfazed that she was naked in front of two guys, albeit one was currently sleeping.

"Who. . Tch, what idiot told you that?!" Ichika pointed a shaky finger at the platinum girl.

Laura took hold of his hand and put him in an arm lock using her legs to constrain his upper body while she twisted his arm, "You need to spend more time practicing your hand-to-hand combat," she commented in a sing-song tone as she continued twisting his arm as he struggled.

"You're so strong!" Ichika said while struggling to break free.

Scott had enough, so he finally got up and wanted to confront Ichika, "What are you doin-?!" He stopped speaking as soon as he what they were doing.

"Tch, what the hell are you doing with a naked girl in here?!" Scott exclaimed as he grabbed his pillow and used it to block his view of Laura.

"She let herself in! I wanted to sleep as well you know!" Ichika said as he still couldn't break free of Laura's grip.

"If you would like to polish your wrestling skills, I offer myself to be your training partner for this," Laura offered, blushing in the process.

Ichika turned towards her, "What are you blushing about that for?!" He yelled.

A couple of loud knocks were heard from the door before a voice was heard, "It's me Ichika! Time to start our morning drills," Houki said before opening the door and entering with a kendo stick and her training attire on.

"It may be Sunday, but that's no reason to slack off so-" Houki gasped as soon as she saw a naked Laura in bed with Ichika, seemingly 'playing around.' The kendo stick in her hand fell to the floor and her face was distraught.

Ichika's face went pale as he knew what was coming. "Such indecency; barging into a married couples bedroom!"

"Married? This is my bedroom too you kno-" Scott stopped mid-sentence as he saw Houki's expression.

She was trying to process what was going on and it was too much when she heard the word, "married," and snapped. Suddenly flames and dark aurora surrounded her as her eyes turned red like a devil's, "Married?!" she screamed. Scott dropped his pillow and hid behind his bed as he peeked his head out to see what was happening.

"Wait Houki!" Ichika pleaded as he struggled to break free from Laura so he could escape Houki's wrath.

Houki picked up her kendo stick and charged at Ichika, "Ah! You'll die!" Houki screamed as she began to beat Ichika with her weapon. While that was happening Laura managed to sneakily put on her clothes and escape the room.

Scott just watched in terror as his friend was being beaten to death by a girl. After a few minutes Scott thought he should speak up to try and help out, "Hey Houki, it's not his fa-" She stopped beating Ichika and turned to look at him, gave a menacing glare which sent shivers down his spine, causing Scott to curl back up behind his bed.

The beating continued for another five minutes or so, until Houki vented all of her frustration out on Ichika. After that she gave him the day off, feeling sorry for beating him afterwards.

Houki left the room, and Scott crawled around his bed to peek down the small hall in their room to check if the door closed behind her. Once it did he got up and helped Ichika get up.

"Hey, sorry for not trying to stop her, but Houki is still really scary to me," Scott apologized.

Ichika sighed as he rubbed his bruised torso and arms, "It's alright. I'm used to it by now."

"How are you used to it?! Charlotte in the short time I've known her, she is well. . like an angel, but I've somehow managed to piss her off once, and holy shit she looked like an evil saint, if that's even possible. And Houki. ." Scott cringed in fear a bit.

"Yeah, I've seen all of them angry, and quite frankly I've somehow gotten used to it. Though I'm not saying I like it or enjoy the pain that comes with it."

Scott looked at him quizzically, "Are you sure you don't need any help. Healing cream, pain killers, water?"

"No, I'm good," Ichika replied as he got up and started changing.

"Alright, well I'm taking a shower," Scott said as he took out a set of clothing and towel.

"Hey, do you want to come with me to the shopping district to buy some trunks?" Ichika inquired as he finished changing into his uniform.

"Nah, after my shower I'm heading to the cafeteria for breakfast. Maybe I'll join you after," Scott replied as he entered the bathroom.

"Ok, well I can write a note telling you which stop to take if you do decide to join me," Ichika said.

"By the way. About what just happened; does this happen on a daily basis?" Scott asked from within the bathroom.

"Unfortunately, yes it does," Ichika replied as he wrote down a note and placed it on the table before leaving.

Twenty minutes later Scott came out of the bathroom with his uniform on. He walked over to the table that had the note on it and put it in his pocket without looking at before leaving the room.

* * *

Scott was currently eating his breakfast at a booth by himself, observing the students who also came to the cafeteria to eat.

 _"So Laura, and Houki both like Ichika. Hm, he's got some cute girls at his beck and call,"_ he grinned at the thought.

Suddenly Scott felt someone press against him. He turned to see a blue haired girl with red eyes. She was wearing the school uniform, but she had a beige vest overtop it and wore a yellow tie. To top it of she wore red legging.

"Mmmm, looks like a tasty breakfast you got there. Can I have some?" She asked while wrapping her arms around Scott's.

"And who are you?" Scott asked as he pulled his arm away.

"Oh, you don't like attention? Why is that?" She teased, ignoring his question.

"It's not that I don't like attention, it's the fact your invading my personal space. By the looks of it you're a second year aren't you?" Scott replied.

"You have a good eye. Ten points for observation, but you still don't know who I am do you?"

"So, who are you then?"

The girl giggled as she tried wrapping her arms around him again, "It doesn't matter who I am. What matter is who you are. Supposedly the second male to pilot an IS in the world. Quite impressive, and you're cute too. But. . you seem to be lacking any real skill in fighting, as I saw in your mock battle with Ichika."

Scott pulled away again, "Tch, so what!"

The bluenette gave him a mischievous smile, "I could train you. Help you sharpen your aim," she offered.

Scott turned back to his food and continued eating, "I'll pass."

"Why is that? Afraid of an older woman," She teased.

"No, it's because I already have a coach, Charlotte Dunois. She seems quite capable."

"Oh, but she's only a first year. I could teach you more about the IS than her," the bluenette reasoned.

"It's not really knowledge of the IS I need training in. In fact I built my IS. It's my aim that needs work, but thanks for the offer," Scott continued to eat his food.

"Ooo, impressive. So you've got some serious brain up there, huh? Another ten points. But how come you don't want training from a better coach?" She asked with a puppy face.

Scott sighed, "Look, it's nice that you want to offer some super cool training for me, but I already have a personal trainer. I could care less if she's only a first year, she was kind enough to take the time to teach me. I find that it'd be rude of me to suddenly quit being her student just to go train with a 'better' coach, wouldn't you?"

The second year student didn't look very pleased as she crossed her arms and pouted, "Aw, you're no fun!"

Scott finished his breakfast and got up from the booth and started to leave, "Well, it was nice meeting you senpai but I have some business to attend to. See you later, I guess."

Scott returned his tray and was about to leave, but then looked back at where he was sitting, and the girl was still sitting there watching him. She flicked her fan open and winked at him.

 _"Cute,"_ Scott thought as he gave her a slight smile before leaving the cafeteria.

* * *

Ichika laid his head against the trains window and closed his eyes as he sighed tiredly, "What a terrible way to start off my day."

Charlotte was sitting beside him and was slightly fidgeting, "Uh, say. Why did you invite me to come along with you today?"

Ichika lifted his head and turned to Charlotte, "Well the class beach trip is coming up. And I was thinking you didn't have a swimsuit. So I was gonna come into town to buy some new trunks for myself, and thought while I was at it. . ."

Charlotte's excited demeanour turned from joyous to depressed as she realized the reason behind inviting her along, "While you were. ." She turned her head away, upset, "Oh yes, I figured it must be something like that."

Ichika who was thoughtfully looking out the window turned back to Charlotte, "Hm, did you say something Charles?"

Charlotte quickly turned to face Ichika and pouted as she complained, "Ah! It's Charlotte! I told you to call me that when it's just the two of us."

Ichika raised his hands in defense, "Uh, you certainly did. Sorry, Charlotte."

"Men who carelessly toy with young girls' affections ought to be kicked by a horse and die!" Charlotte stated as she turned back to face forward, clearly upset with her friend.

Ichika had a confused expression, "Where did that come from?. . Still I think any guy who's like that probably does deserve to die."

Charlotte sighed as he said that, as he failed to get the point. Throughout the rest of the ride she continued to be upset with him, up until they got off the train.

"Hang on why are you mad at me?" Ichika asked as Charlotte gave him the cold shoulder.

Charlotte stopped walking and turned around to faced him, "Here! I, I will forgive you if you would just hold my hand," she asked with a determined look as she held out her hand.

Ichika's expression changed to an 'understanding' look, "I see, so that's it. Okay, it would be bad if we got separated in an unfamiliar location, so keep a tight grip," he explained aloud in a sing-song tone.

Charlotte once again sighed as he didn't get the meaning, "Idiot."

Meanwhile Ichika and Charlotte were looking around for stores that sold swimsuits, Rin and Cecelia also happened to be doing the same thing and spotted them. The two girls were currently hiding behind a vending machine as they observed the 'couple.'

"Uh-oh," Rin said.

"Are they uh-"

"They are, they're holding-"

"Holding hands," Cecelia finished their sentence.

Rin looked like she had nothing left to lose, "I thought, I was experiencing a waking nightmare, but if you see it. . Then it's time to kill him!" Rin shouted as she partial deployed Shenlong's right arm as fire started to burn around her with a dark aurora.

"Uh-huh, you have strange past times," Laura commented, startling the two candidates.

Rin and Cecelia turned around and immediately put up their guards, "Laura!" Cecelia stated.

"Oh, you do not need to be so guarded, because it is no longer my intent to harm any of you," Laura explained in an amused tone.

Cecelia threw her hands up and shouted, "And you expect us to believe you!"

"Ah, I see," Laura ignored them and continued to walk past them before Rin blocked her path.

"Just what do you think you're doing?!" Rin whisper shouted.

"It should be clear; I intend to join them, nothing more," Laura replied.

"Don't you know that you should always spy on a new enemy before confronting them openly?" Rin told Laura.

"That's quite correct. Surveillance is an art form. First we must follow them closely, then we can determine the exact nature of their relationship!" Cecelia explained, while Rin nodded her head in agreement.

"I see. You have a point," thus the three girls all turned in the direction of where Ichika and Charlotte were headed with determined expressions.

* * *

Along their trip to find a couple swimsuits Ichika stopped walking and let go of Charlotte's hand, "Say, Charlotte?" Unbeknownst to them, the three girls were still following them.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Everyone at the Academy knows that you're a girl now, so it'd be normal for you to go by Charlotte. Maybe I should think of something else to call you, huh. Something that's just between you and me," Ichika thought aloud.

Charlotte was surprised by this, "Huh? Really?!"

Ichika thought for a moment, "Hm, how about Charl? It's easy to say, and it sounds friendly, right?"

Charlotte processed the nickname, "Charl? Yeah I think Charl is wonderful!" She said excitedly.

"Oh, okay then."

 _"Wow, that kind of reaction must mean that she really does like it. All right!"_ Ichika thought to himself.

On the other hand Charlotte was entering Cloud Nine, _"Charl! Charl! That means, I must be special to him, n'est-ce pas?"_

* * *

Scott got off the correct monorail stop if he remembered correctly, but he didn't really know where Ichika would be. So Scott just started walking around the shopping district, looking around to see if he could find his friend. Naturally he went to the area where all the summer clothing was being sold, yet he still couldn't find him.

While he was looking through a store window to see what's inside he heard someone run past him, so Scott turned around to see who it was, but he was knocked over by a group of girls running past him, not caring that they ran into someone.

He got up and looked to see who ran into him and saw Rin, Laura, and Cecelia run into a swimsuit store for girls. Curiosity got the better of Scott, so he decided to see what the big deal was. He peeked his head out so he could look into the store through the window, and saw that the girls seemed like they were searching for someone, but who?

He decided to get a closer look and entered the shop. A short while after he regretted the decision because Scott realized that a lot of the Academy's students were in this store, and some of them gave him weird looks. Scott felt uncomfortable in the store, but he was curious about what was so important that they didn't care about running into him.

He was hiding behind a rack of rather revealing swim suits as he continued observing the girls. They were searching every nook and cranny in the place, not really caring for the suits aside from Laura, who stepped aside to phone someone.

Scott leaned too much against the rack, and he tumbled forward and landed in front of Rin and Cecelia. He was covered in bikini's and bras, and he gave a sheepish smile, "Uh, hey there. How are you girls doing?"

Their expressions turned from detective to executioner in an instant. "Well, what do we have here?" Cecelia asked rhetorically.

"Is someone spying on us?" Rin asked.

Scott gulped as he looked between the two girls, both their looks saying "Pervert! I'm going to kill you!"

"It's not what it looks like! I swear, let me explain," Scott pleaded as he backed away, still on the ground.

The girls partial deployed their IS' and started moving towards him, to which Scott got up and ran, removing all the garments from him as he left the store. Rin and Cecelia chased him all over the place, "Someone needs to be taught a lesson about privacy!" Cecelia shouted.

"You ran into me before you ran into that store! I just wanted to see what it was that had your attention to not care about running into someone, Okay! There's no need to kill me for it!" Scott shouted as he continued running.

"Are you sure you didn't want to sneak a peek?!" Rin shouted as she threw her dual scimitar at Scott.

"No! I'm not like that, I swear! I just turned down a girl this morning!"

 _"They're gonna kill me if I don't escape somehow!"_ Scott thought.

Luckily for him the monorail just arrived at the station, so Scott ran for it. He dodged Cecelia's BIT's shots and squeezed past the closing door of the monorail. He turned around and sighed in relief as he saw the girls dismissed their partial deployments and glared at him as the train took off.

"Note-to-self; No more spying," Scott said to himself as he sat down on one of the seats, _"I see what the saying, 'Curiosity killed the cat' means now. But forget about that, now I'm going to be labeled a pervert! Why does this have to happen to me?!"_ He slouched on his seat as a depressed aurora surrounded him.

While Scott was sulking about his to-be status, Ichika and Charlotte were being scolded by Miss Yamada back in the store for changing together.

* * *

 **Time Skip - One week**

It was a beautiful day out as the sun shone brightly down on the beach while the Academy students were spread across it. Scott and Ichika were near the top of the beach observing the view of the ocean. Scott wore a red pair of shorts with black stripes on the sides, and Ichika wore blue shorts. Charlotte was wearing the orange, and black bathing suit she bought with Ichika. Rin was wearing orange short shorts with a matching bra, and Cecelia wore a blue bikini with a matching cloth to act as a skirt, which covered most of her lower half.

Rin jumped on Ichika and climbed onto his shoulders earning complaints from the latter, "Oh wow, I'm up so high!"

The girls surrounding Ichika and Scott started calling out their 'turns' to ride on top of Ichika's shoulders as Cecelia approached the group.

"Get off me! I'm not an observation deck!" Ichika complained.

Cecelia was holding an umbrella with a wrapped towel, and she clearly wasn't happy, "Say, what the devil is going on here?!"

Ichika turned to Cecelia while Rin put a hand on her hip proudly, "I think that it's obvious, he's my lookout!" She wrapped her hands around Ichika's head, blocking his view.

"Oh, Ichika! Surely you can't have already forgotten the promise you made to me on the bus?!" Cecelia stabbed the umbrella in the sand and opened it, then laid the towel down which also had a bottle of cocoanut oil in it. She then laided down on the towel, face down, and undid her bra, "Alright Ichika, please get on with it."

Rin jumped off of Ichika and was clearly upset, "And exactly is he suppose to be getting on?"

"As you can see, he is to rub the sun tan oil on my skin. It simply wouldn't do for a gentleman to renag on promise he's made to a lady, now would it?" Cecelia explained with a blush on her face.

Ichika had an uncomfortable look on his face, "Alright then, if I must."

He poured some of the oil onto his hands and looking at it with odd disgust. Scott stood by and watched the whole encounter, and he was watching Ichika play with the oil in his hands before applying it to Cecelia's back.

Scott shook his head in disappointment, _"Do you not see that both Cecelia and Rin like you? Normally a girl wouldn't ask a guy to rub oil on their skin for them unless they were familiar with them or liked them. But clearly with how they look at you and speak to you, it's definitely the latter!"_

Ichika touched Cecelia's back and she jumped from the contact, "My goodness Ichika, warm your hands a bit before applying the oil."

He apologized and started rubbing his hands together before applying the oil again, "Sorry, but it's my first time doing this you know."

Cecelia blushed even further as she heard him say that, "Ah, you mean that I'm going to be your first? Well then it's to be expected, I suppose." Her cheery attitude earned a growl from Rin.

Ichika got to work on applying the oil, and the handful of girls around the two were going crazy from seeing how much Cecelia was enjoying it. Once Ichika finished her back he turned to look at the blonde and smiled sheepishly, "You just want me to do your back right?"

Cecelia opened her eyes and turned her head to him, "No, there are many areas that I can't reach. So while I have here, I'd like you to cover all of them."

"All of them?!" Ichika asked surprised.

"Yes please, my legs, my thighs, and my buttocks," Cecelia replied, earning a surprised uncomfortable shout from Ichika.

Rin jumped in, speaking in a sing-song tone, "Hey there, I'll do that for ya!" A mischievous smile appeared on her face before she started applying the oil everywhere else Cecelia asked for. But to the spectators it looked more like she was tickling the blonde as Cecelia was laughing too much from Rin applying the oil.

But as soon as Rin applied the oil to Cecelia behind, Cecelia was furious and jumped up, "Damn it Rin! That is quite enough!" Immediately after getting up Rin's face became shocked, because Cecelia's breasts were showing, and the blonde noticed this.

Ichika let out an awkward sound as he saw them, and Scott quickly turned his head to the side and covered his view with a hand. Cecelia screamed in surprise as Ichika didn't look away in time, and partial deployed her arm and hit Ichika into the ocean.

She quickly covered herself and turned to Scott, "Are you asking for a beating as well?!"

Scott still wasn't looking as he got up, "No, there's no need to hit me. I can escort myself to the water," he said as he started walking away, allowing Cecelia to put her bra back on.

* * *

Ichika watched Cecelia and Tokatsuki (A/N: I haven't got to this part in the light novel yet, so I'm unsure as to if I spelled her name correctly) drag Rin away, after being saved from drowning due to a leg cramp.

Scott walked up to Ichika as he watched Rin throw a temper tantrum, "So, Rin's alright?"

"If she's that energetic, then she probably is alright," Ichika replied.

"Ichika, Scott, so this is where you've been!" Charlotte called out as she dragged a mummy along with her. The mummy gave Ichika the creeps and Scott was clueless as to who it was.

"So uh, what's the deal with the beach mummy?" Ichika asked.

Charlotte simply smiled as she gently shook the mummy, "Come on now, you can let Ichika see your suit. It will be alright."

"Nein! I will decide whether or not it is alright!" The mummy responded.

"Hold on, is that Laura?!" Ichika asked.

"By the sound of it, I'd say it is," Scott replied.

"But Laura you have already changed, so now you have to show him your new bathing suit," Charlotte reasoned to the mummified Laura.

"No, wait. I am still not ready. First I must prepare myself for this."

Charlotte gave a mischievous smile, "Oh? In that case Ichika and I will go out to the shore alone. Are you okay with that?" She winked at both the guys as she waited for a response.

"No! That is forbidden!" Laura cried as she quickly unraveled herself. After she revealed herself, Laura started twiddling her thumbs as she blushed, "If you wish to laugh, then go ahead."

Charlotte smiled as she stood by the guys, "It looks perfectly fine, don't you think boys?"

Scott smiled, "Not bad."

"Yeah, you look cute," Ichika commented honestly.

Laura started twiddling her thumbs even more, "Oh, you think I am cute? That is the first time I have been called that. I thank you very much for your input, and it is greatly appreciated."

"Orimura!"

"You promised, now let play some beach volleyball!" The girls from before called out. One of them threw the volleyball at Ichika who caught it.

"Sure, but it's currently four against three. How are we going to play?" He asked.

"I can sit out, so it's evenly matched," Scott offered.

The group went over to the net and started the match, with Scott acting as the referee.

They started the game, but shortly after it started Laura got hit in the face with the volleyball, seemingly too distracted to notice it in time. In the end she ended up running into the ocean due to Ichika's presence.

"What's up with her? Should we go after her?" Ichika asked, clueless.

"Oh, I think it's best we leave her alone," Charlotte replied.

"No kidding, Mr. Popular," Scott snickered as he walked up to Ichika.

"You really think so?" Ichika inquired, causing both Scott and Charlotte to shake their heads in frustration.

Miss Yamada walked up to court with a bright attitude, "Oooo, who brought the volleyballs; that looks like fun!"

"Would you like to come play with us, Teacher?" Charlotte asked.

"Sure," Yamada Sensei turned around to address her senior and friend, "You want to give the kids a shot Miss Orimura?"

Miss Orimura was wearing a black bikini swimsuit that emphasized on the bust, and was very sexy and mature looking. Upon seeing Chifuyu, Ichika went a little red and became very nervous.

"Please go ahead Ma'am, I'll trade places with you," One of the girls on the opposing team offered.

"What the hell," Chifuyu agreed in her own way.

Meanwhile Chifuyu got ready on the other side Ichika was busy trying not to stare at his sister.

"Uh, Ichika I was wondering, could it be Miss Orimura is your type?" Charlotte asked while she looked at the flustered boy.

Ichika nearly jumped from her comment, even more flustered, "What does that mean?!"

"Well your reaction just now was certainly a lot different than from when you saw our swimsuits."

Ichika just turned away and put his hand behind his neck, "Nope, nope. That's not it at all."

"Sacre bleu! So many rivals already, and now I have to compete with Miss Orimura on top of all that?!" Charlotte complained to herself.

"I guess that's the perk of being the first male IS pilot," Scott commented as he stood beside the two. Scott then leaned closer to Ichika and nudged him, "Hey, your sister is attracting a lot of attention. Hmm?" He had a mischievous look as Ichika turned to him.

"What do yo- No! I wouldn't if I were you." Scott's mischievous look grew bigger, "Alright, well; it's your funeral," Ichika announced, causing Scott to laugh.

"I'm only joking, but seriously. Your sister's body is criminal." Scott's comment earned a slight glare from Ichika.

Scott then turned to Charlotte, "Good luck trying to win him over," he said before heading back to his post as referee. What Scott didn't notice was that he earned a slight blush from Charlotte, since she didn't think her intentions were too obvious.

The rest of the afternoon was filled with loads of fun, some trouble making and plenty of swimming by the gang.

* * *

The sky was painted a red-orange as the sun was starting to set out across the ocean. Houki was standing at the edge of a cliff, above the ocean looking out into the distance.

"So this is where you've been hiding. The ocean's not going anywhere, so can you give me your attention?" Chifuyu asked as she stood several meters behind Houki, both still wearing their respective swimsuits.

"Yes, Miss Orimura?" Houki inquired.

"You seem distracted for a while now. Do you want to talk about it?" Chifuyu replied.

"Well, it's-" Houki trailed off, lost in thought as Chifuyu walked up to her.

"Is it about Tabane? I contacted her the other day. It seems she had nothing to do with Laura's VT system," Chifuyu said.

"I see."

"Tomorrow is July seventh. You're expecting that something might show up, aren't you?" Chifuyu inquired, earning a firm nod from Houki.

Houki replayed what her sister said to her about her new IS as she looked out at the ocean while the sun set in the background, "Akatsubaki," she whispered to herself.

* * *

Hey, the chapter is finally done. Sorry for the long wait. I don't really have any excuses. I was mainly caught up in all my music, something I really really love, just as much as writing. And on top of that I was conflicted about the chapter. (P.S: I don't play music that well, I mainly listen. just an FYI).

 **Aquatix13** \- Thank you for the suggestions. Definitely better names than I've thought of, so I'll be using those. Hope you're enjoying the story so far.

 **TalonAlpha3** \- I mean, I love Iron Man. My initial Idea of Scott was to be genius, like he is. Then I had an idea to have an A.I he built be a part of the team, and from there it ended up being similar to Iron Man, since Phoenix is in Scott's IS. I still like it though, could care less if people were to call me out, though I believe this community is quite friendly and tends to respect people's own ideas.

 **dicarten-ice** \- Yeah. I'm very glad you liked the way I introduced Luca. I was actually kind of afraid how you'd react to it. So I felt relieved when you didn't hate me, and instead loved it. Not really sure if I said this already, but thanks for the shoutout in your own story.

We are getting to the good part of the story; by that I mean the Gospel fight. This time with Scott. Definitely excited to see you guys next chapter. I don't have much to say, so fav, follow, review if you wish and I'll see you next time. Peace!


	5. Inconvenience

Hello guys, I'm back with the next chapter. I do have to warn you all that in this chapter there is a lot of swearing.

"Talking"

 _"Thoughts"_

* * *

 **Inconvenience**

* * *

It was early in the morning when the coffee machine's alarm went off to alert the owner their coffee was made. The brown haired man walked up to the pot and poured his black coffee into a mug and then went to sit at the dining table in the next room. He took the remote for the T.V and turned it on to the news channel, which was currently showing the weeks weather forecast.

All that was playing through his mind as he watched the news was what his former colleague said to him, _"Isn't it ironic that the one you quit for, is the one to drag you back in?"_

"Damn woman," Hugh muttered. No matter what it was, she enjoyed teasing him. Just to get on his nerves, and it always did. Six years of working together and after four years of retirement she still is able to irritate him. He thought by now she would stop or he wouldn't be annoyed.

Hugh heard the door bell ring, waking him from his thoughts, so he got up to answer it and was met with a smile from the same woman.

"Hello Hugh, sorry for the wait, but as promised we have a team here for you," Susan explained as she walked into the house, followed by six men all in light gear with weapon holsters.

She waved her hand and the guards stopped at the entrance while she went into the kitchen and helped herself to a cup of coffee while Hugh followed her with slight disdain in his eyes.

"So you're just going to pretend nothing happened? That we're still friends and everything's alright?" Hugh asked, irritated.

"We are friends still right?" She asked while sipping her coffee.

"That's not the point. My wife died. I quit my job because we were being targeted."

"Hugh, you were a good friend and a great colleague, but we have no proof. She was run over, but the team who inspected her body concluded it was by accident; by a drunk-"

"Then where was the drunk!" Hugh said sternly.

"Since it was a normal accident we couldn't interfere in the polices investigation. They gave up, whoever it was; they're long gone."

"You can pretend that it was just a freak accident, but I'm a scientist and I don't believe in coincidence. We were making huge progress on a very important project, and then all of the sudden my wife is run over by a drunk the night before she could release the news to the world?" Hugh explained.

"The world is a cruel place. I've always respected you and your wife for all that you've done, but life never goes the way we want it. I want to believe you and help but with no proof that it was murder, we can't do anything," Susan said.

Hugh sighed, "I know, I know. I, I'm just worried. All the paranoia is coming back."

"Because of him?" The blonde asked.

"Yes. I'm worried. He's a sitting duck without any protection. And I won't be able to do anything if something happens."

"You're worrying too much; Chifuyu is his homeroom teacher. He's in good hands," Susan reassured.

"I know she's his teacher and that she'll do anything to keep him safe. I trust her, I do, but as a father I can't help but worry," Hugh explained as he drank from his mug.

"Have you forgotten what Chifuyu can do?" Susan asked.

"No. I know what she's capable of."

Susan shifted in her seat and put down her coffee, "Anyways, this is your team." She said, changing the subject. Hugh looked at the men.

They all wore light armour as Hugh could tell, despite them wearing uniforms and disguises overtop. Their holsters were also hidden but he could see the bulges of the pistols. Four of them were dressed as gardeners while two of them were in their normal gear. Each of them wore an ear piece.

"They're here to watch over you. I won't get into introductions as I'm a little pressed for time. All I'll tell you is that the two who aren't disguised-"

"Will hide inside a van and be the surveillance team," Hugh finished.

Susan was surprised to see him figure it, "After all these years you still got it huh?"

"I keep up with my training, both in mind and body," Hugh replied as he finished examining the team. He looked back at Susan, "So, who exactly did you send to watch over Scott?"

The blonde woman scowled, "You're being too paranoid. I've got to go so I'll leave the introductions up to you." She quickly left the house, leaving Hugh with his new security team.

He looked at them all, "Well, it's been a while since I've been in the military. It's nice to meet you all, yada yada yada all that crap. Pretty sure you've all been briefed on who I am. I have one request to make. . . I need a sparring partner for my training, since my son isn't here."

They all looked at each other, until one of the men in the surveillance team stepped up, "I wouldn't mind training while on the job."

Hugh looked at the man, "And you are?"

"My name's Brevin. I'm the team leader here." He waved his hand and the rest of the group left the house. "So where's the training room?"

* * *

After a long day of swimming down at the beach the academy students went back to the resort hotel and had nice long baths in the onsens before heading to the dining hall to eat their dinner.

Once there everyone took any available seat there was, chatting with friends, discussing issues, etc. Sitting down in one of the rows of tatami mats was Scott, Charlotte, Ichika, and Cecilia; all eating their freshly made Japanese style dinners.

"Mmm, fresh wasabi is great! It's the real deal!" Ichika exclaimed excitedly after eating a piece of sashimi with wasabi.

"The real deal?" Charlotte asked, clueless to what wasabi was. She then took her whole portion of wasabi and ate it whole before tears started coming out of her eyes as she cried aloud.

Ichika had a worried look as he leaned closer to check on Charlotte, "Uh, hey there. How ya doing Charl?" He asked in a worried tone.

Charlotte was holding her nose with one hand as she endured the spiciness of the wasabi she ate, "I feel okay, thanks. It was particularly flavourful and delicious," she replied, still holding her nose.

"My my, all the wasabi at once. That must be intense," Scott commented as he watched Charlotte.

Ichika handed Charlotte his water, to which she immediately drank it all, washing out the flavour of wasabi, "Oh man. I thought you knew better than to do something like that."

On the other side of Ichika, Cecilia was having trouble sitting in the seiza position. "Are you feeling alright? If you can't kneel for a long time maybe you should move to a table instead," Ichika suggested as he watched Cecilia struggle.

She looked back at him and faked a smile while in pain, "I'm uh, quite alright.. And compared to the effort it took me to secure this place at the table; this is nothing," she said, saying the last part under her breath.

"Uh, this place?"

"No! That was nothing? Honestly!" Cecilia threw her hands up in defense as she started to fake a laugh.

"Right, whispering under your breath suspiciously is nothing," Scott chimed in.

Cecilia leaned forward to look over at Scott and glared at him, "Mind your own business! Have you heard of privacy?" She criticized.

Scott was irritated by the reminder, "I'm sorry but this is a dining hall, and I'm two seats from you. It's not hard to hear what you're saying even if you're whispering," Scott said as he returned the glare, _"And I'm not a perv!"_

"Whoa! Let's not start fighting okay guys," Ichika suggested as he put his hands between the two.

"Ichika," Charlotte called, "There are many different types of girls you know."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yes it is so," Charlotte confirmed with him.

"It's true," Scott commented as he ate the last of his sashimi.

Ichika ignored Scott and looked over to where Houki was sitting, which was at the end of another table. She had a mean look on her face as she was clearly unhappy, _"Oh man check out the face on Houki! I wonder what she could be looking so upset about."_ Ichika thought to himself.

Just as he finished the thought Cecilia's knees gave out, "Hey Cecilia, if it's really that uncomfortable; do you want me to feed you? I've done it for Char-"

Before he could finish his sentence Charlotte came behind and covered his mouth with both hands, "Tck, Ichika!"

"Sorry!" He said in a muffled voice.

Both were startled from Cecilia's excited outburst, "Do you really mean it?! Do you really mean that you would actually be willing to feed me?!" She asked excitedly.

"Honestly?!" Ichika cried out from underneath Charlotte's hands, who quickly removed them.

"It would be an awful shame to let all this beautiful food go to waste, now wouldn't it?" Cecilia reasoned happily as she offered Ichika her chopsticks.

"Okay, sashimi first," Ichika stated as he took the chopsticks from her.

"Alright, but not too much wasabi if you please," Cecilia asked, happy to be fed by Ichika.

As Ichika was feeding Cecilia, who felt like they were in heaven at the moment, the other girls around them were becoming jealous that Cecilia was making Ichika feed her.

Houki on the opposite side of the room was still angry, _"Grrr, stupid Ichika. I'm sure he's completely forgotten that tomorrow is the seventh of July!"_

Scott was shocked at the commotion, "Hold on, is he really that important to all of you?" But nobody answered him or even listened for that matter.

The next moment the door to the hallway slammed open, causing everyone to go quiet, mainly because Chifuyu was the one in the doorway; clearly pissed. " For the love of God! Why can't you all just eat your food in silence?!"

"Um, yes Miss Orimura," one of the girls answered meekly.

Chifuyu then turned to Ichika, "Orimura, stop causing such a racket, calm it down in here pronto!"

"Uh, yes Ma'am, calming it down!" Ichika replied quickly. Once Chifuyu left all the girls in Ichika and Scott's row sighed in relief.

Ichika returned Cecilia's chopsticks to her earning an angry pouty face, "Sorry about that Cecilia, I guess you'll have to do it by yourself." The glare startled him so he thought of something else to make up for it, "In exchange, why don't you come by my room later tonight, okay?"

His offer caught the blonde girl off guard earning a blush, "Come by your room?" She came to the wrong conclusion making her blush even darker, "Oh, Ichika could you possibly mean we-?"

* * *

"Aww, after we got everything ready we really thought we'd be able to play with Orimura. What a disappointment," one of the girls from the Nohohon's posse said in a depressed tone.

"Uh-huh, but he's been in Miss Orimura's room forever.."

They were all currently in one of the tatami bedrooms and they had taken out various games that were currently either on or around the table.

Over near the entrance door was Cecilia, who was hyped as she was tying her robes up after taking an extra long bath.

Nohohon crept up to her and saw a glimpse of what Cecilia was wearing, "Oh! Cece's wearing some naughty underwear! She exclaimed, causing Cecilia to blush deeply.

"Is she now? Let's strip her and see!"

"Yeah, peel it off! Peel it off!" The other girls tackled the blonde girl and eventually revealed her undergarments.

"Oh! That's french black lace with no under-wire!" One girl exclaimed.

"Oh, so that's what naughty underwear looks like," the other commented as an embarrassed Cecilia lay on the floor, secret exposed.

"Yeah and she pulls it off well too," the first girl added.

"Oo-la-la! Cecilia is so naughty!" All three girls teased.

"I am not! It's not like that!" Cecilia denied, turning her head away due to embarrassment. "In fact, this is uh- A young lady's personal preference. That's right! It's a personal preference!"

* * *

A little while later Cecilia turned around a corner after escaping Nohohon and the other girls.

As she was fantasizing about Ichika she noticed the other girls, namely Houki, Charlotte, Laura, and Rin all in front of Ichika's room. Scott was also present but leaning against one of the support posts in the hallway.

Cecilia walked over to the group, "What is going on here?" Clueless as to why they all were leaning close to the door. Rin simply shushed her and pointed towards the paper sign on the door, which read "Chifuyu Orimura, Ichika Orimura."

From within Ichika and Chifuyu could be heard, both making odd noises and moans. "Agh, are you nervous Chifuyu? I know it's been a long time."

"Mmn, no of course. Don't be ridiculous," his sister replied. "Hey! Mm, don't do it quite so hard."

"Okay fine. What about here?"

"Ohh, that is- oh not there."

"It'll feel good soon. Looks like this is building up."

All the girls now including Cecilia had mixed expressions of worried, curious and shocked. "Oh my goodness, what in heaven's name is going on in there?!" Cecilia said, shocked. She then leaned in closer, which in turn caused the whole door to fall down, causing all the girls to tumble into Ichika's room.

* * *

Charlotte, Laura, Rin, Houki, Cecilia, and Scott all were sitting down in front of Ichika and Chifuyu who were sitting on chairs.

"Okay idiots. Just what was so interesting about me getting a massage?" Chifuyu asked.

"Ohh, you were giving your sister a massage," Charlotte clarified to herself.

"Yeah, that's not what we thought at all," Laura bluntly stated.

"What did you think we were doing?" Ichika inquired.

Laura put up her finger to explain, "Well naturally we-" She was cut off as all the other girls quickly covered Laura's mouth and tried laughing it off.

"Not a single thing," Rin jumped in, still covering Laura's mouth with the other girls.

"Yes, we weren't thinking at all," Houki chimed in.

"Oh give it up, I know what you were all thinking," Scott said as he snickered, earning glares which he ignored.

"What was it?" Ichika continued to question, this time towards Scott, who instantly turned red.

"I'd rather not say. It's complicated," Scott answered as he finally paid attention to the glares as a chill went down his spine; all mischievous thoughts went out the window.

Ignoring the awkward situation, Chifuyu continued, "He may not look like a masseur, but he has amazing fingers. Come to think of it, maybe you should let him do all of you."

This suggestion earned surprised gasps from all the girls, while Scott moaned in depression. _"There goes my turn,"_ Scott thought to himself.

"Cheer up. You could ask for it later, he did offer it earlier to you before dinner right?" Phoenix said through Scott's earpiece.

 _"I guess. I'm just sore and my muscles are tense from all the training with Charlotte,"_ Scott replied.

"Okay, I'll do Cecilia first," Ichika insisted.

"I'm going first?!" Cecilia asked.

"Yes, that's why I invited you here," He answered while patting the mat for her to lie down.

Cecilia obliged and laid down on the tatami mat, after which Ichika started massaging her back. At first he used his knuckles, but they hurt her so he used his palms instead.

As Ichika was massaging Cecilia, the girl started dozing off until she felt someone place a hand on her buttocks, to which she screamed in surprise.

The owner of the hand was Chifuyu, who had then lifted her robes revealing Cecilia's naughty underwear. The action caused Ichika to look away. The girls mouths were ajar and Scott was currently shaking his head with his hand on his forehead.

"Oh my, how precocious. But these are really too mature for you. Nice shade of black though," Chifuyu commented on Cecilia's underwear, ignoring the girls squeals.

"Please Ma'am I really do wish you would put that down now," The British girl asked in embarrassment.

"What? Didn't expect your elude fifteen year-old desires to be expressed to your teacher?" Chifuyu teased, causing Cecilia to turn cherry red. She let go of Cecilia's robes finally as she turned to Ichika, "Oh I'm just joking dear. Hey Ichika, why don't you go buy us some drinks."

"Oh, okay," The boy obeyed and left the room to grab some drinks.

Chifuyu then turned to look at Scott, "Are you staying?"

"Uh, sure. Looks interesting," Scott replied as he sat up straight.

* * *

All the girls were sitting around the table in a half circle as they watched Chifuyu sit down and open a can of beer while Scott sat in the background, "So what's with the dead fish expressions?" Chifuyu asked.

"Um, the thing is, we uh-"

"You see Ma'am; this is the first time we have ever spoken to you in this way," Charlotte explained.

"Okay... We're finally getting down to the knitty-gritty huh?" Chifuyu asked rhetorically as she drank from her can. "And what about you Scott?"

"I know of the current situation, but have mostly stayed out of it," Scott explained.

"Then how come you decided to stay?" Chifuyu asked.

"Uh, this may seem unreasonable or rude, but it's because I find it amusing to say the least," Scott answered. When he looked at his teacher, he saw an understanding, almost _knowing_ look on her face before she turned back to the girls.

"So what do you girls even see in him?"

Chifuyu's question surprised the girls as they all gasped, "I mean, my brother has his uses for sure. For example, he's good at cooking, house cleaning, and he gives fantastic massages so any girl who gets him would be lucky."

"That being said, he comes at a price-"

"He's for sale?!" All the girls asked in excitement.

"No you fools! Listen, if you're a real woman; you've got to be willing to do whatever it takes to nuke your rivals. Get with the program kiddos, okay," Chifuyu shot down their high hopes leaving the girls depressed.

* * *

It was morning and Ichika was walking along the hallway which connected to the courtyard and spotted Houki kneeling in front of a sign that said, 'Please Pull," and right in front of it was two mechanical bunny ears.

"Houki?" Ichika walked up to her, and read the sign, "'Please Pull.' Okay, do you think this means-"

"Sometimes it's just better not to know," Houki cut in as she got up and left.

"Hey wait! Do you think we should just leave it lying there like that?!" Ichika tried asking Houki, who was long gone.

Ichika turned back to the sign and was contemplating on what to do when Cecilia walked up to him, "What are you doing over here Ichika?"

"Something I might regret," Ichika said as he knelt down to pull the ears out of the ground. He managed to pull the ears out and tumbled backwards onto the ground.

Soon afterwards Cecilia and Ichika both heard a loud noise coming from the sky and saw an unidentified flying object coming there way at a very fast rate, "Ugh, I knew it," Ichika said in a depressed tone before the object landed in the ground in front of them.

It was a carrot shaped rocket, and when it opened up smoke came out and a strange looking lady in a maid outfit, who was laughing, appeared out of nowhere, " You fell for it Ichi-kun! Yay, yay!"

"Ugh, it sure has been a long time hasn't it, Tabane," Ichika greeted the woman.

"Mmhm, long time no see, hah! A really long time. So Ichi-kun, where did little Houki go?" Tabane asked in a sing-song voice.

"U- actually, she's jus- uh..." Ichika failed to produce any answer as he was at a loss of Houki's whereabouts, not to mention seeing his childhood friends sister for the first time in a forever.

"That's okay, I'll find her soon enough just by using this Houki-tracking device I invented. Okay Ikkun, I'll see ya later!" Tabane waved goodbye as she ran off in the direction Houki went.

Ichika got up from the ground and Cecilia walked back up to him after Tabane left, "Uh, Ichika who was that strange person just now?" She asked while still looking in the direction Tabane ran off.

"That's Tabane Shinonono, Houki's big sister," Cecilia gasped in shocked from finding out she just met the world genius Dr. Tabane Shinonono.

"That was _thee_ Tabane?!" She asked in disbelief.

Ichika sighed, "Yes."

Moments later Scott came up to the two with a somewhat surprised and excited look on his face, "Ichika, tell me. Was that who I think it was?" He asked, since he came from where Tabane ran off to.

"You mean the strangely dressed woman with bunny ears on her head?" Ichika asked, to which Scott nodded his head, "Yes, that's who you think it is."

Scott's eyes widened and a big grin appeared on his face, "No way?!" He quickly walked away muttering to himself with sparkles in his eyes like he was a kid who finally managed to reach the secret cookie jar stash his parents kept on the top shelf.

* * *

It was approaching noon as the whole gang stood at attention in front of a cliff near the ocean.

"As you can see, everyone with a personal unit has been assembled here." Chifuyu stated as she was about to explain the lesson.

"Um, just a minute Ma'am, Houki doesn't have her own unit, does she?" Rin asked.

"Well, uh-"

"It's alright Shinonono, I'll explain everything," Chifuyu stated as she walked up to Houki and stood beside her. "The reason that she's here is-"

"Calabunga!" Tabane screamed as she slid down the cliff, earning deadpanned looks from both Houki and Chifuyu. She then jumped up in the air and was aiming for Chifuyu, arms wide open; ready to hug the life out of someone, "Chiiiii-chaaaan!"

When she landed, Chifuyu held her at bay with an outstretched arm while Houki ran off to hide from her sister, "Hello! Hello! Hello! Oh I've missed you Chi-chan! Let's hug and confirm our love for each other!"

"Would you just shut up Tabane!" Chifuyu sternly said as she continued to keep Tabane at bay.

"Agh, using the unforgiving iron-claw as always aren't you?!" Tabane said before moving on to Houki, who was currently hiding behind a rock, "Tada! Hi there!" She said in a sing-song tone.

"Yes, hello," Houki replied in a worried and shy tone to her sister.

"Hehe, it's been awhile hasn't it. How many years has it been?" Tabane asked herself. "I can't believe how much bigger you've gotten little sister, especially your boobies!" She was making squeezing motions with her hands as Tabane eyed her sister's bust.

That was the last straw for Houki as she produced a kendo stick out of nowhere and hit her older sister in the face, "I will so hit you!"

"You say that afterwards, that's so cruel. She's a real dominatrix, isn't she Ikkun?" Tabane asked while rubbing her head.

"Uh, well..."

Tabane's gaze moved to Scott who was standing beside Cecilia. She quickly made her way to him and started inspecting him, "Hmm. Who might you be?" She continued inspecting him, lifting up his arms, checking his face, etc, until she gasped, "Wait. You're Scott Stalker?"

Scott was utterly confused, but also surprised she knew his name, "Yes?... How do you know my name?"

"Hehe, I have my ways. You look different. Maybe it's the hair. Anyways, it's nice to meet you!" Tabane greeted him while vigorously shaking his hands.

"It's nice to meet you too! But uh, What do-"

"You know Tabane, you should at least introduce yourself," Chifuyu suggested, cutting Scott off.

"Ugh, that's such a pain," Tabane said as she walked back up to the front. "Okay everybody. Hi I'm Tabane the genius; Hello, that's all. That's it," she put her hands on her hips proudly with a smug smile.

The whole situation thus far was bizarre and crazy to the bystanders as the four girls, save Cecilia, were at a loss to who Tabane was. While Cecilia was still trying to comprehend that the strange woman was Tabane. Ichika looked ready to die at any moment due to her behaviour. Scott, aside from the earlier encounter, was surprised and excited to see Tabane.

"You're Tabane?" Rin asked, flabbergasted.

"As in Tabane the brilliant scientist who invented the IS units?" Charlotte inquired.

"Zhee Tabane Shinonono?"

The pink-purple haired woman had a mischievous look appear on her face, "Now everybody, look up to the heavens!" She screamed as she threw one of her hands up in the air pointing to the sky.

Everyone did as they were told and they all saw an object flying at them at an unbelievably fast speed. It quickly planted itself in the ground and was shaped like a giant metal diamond. Tabane appeared from behind it and sang in a cheery voice, "Da de da da daa! This is Houki's own personal unit, the Akatsubaki! All of it's specs are way above the current models, and it's hand-made by me, Tabane!" She explained as the metal diamond dissipated, revealing a red IS unit in default standby mode.

"This little beauty is a fourth generation type IS, and Tabane the genius created it especially for Houki!" She further explained.

"Fourth generation?" Laura said surprised.

"Isn't Scott's IS a fourth generation too?" Charlotte asked, looking towards him.

"Uh, yes it is. I based it off the 3rd gen prototypes and added multiple upgrades. I thought we had this conversation already?" Scott answered. The little exchange caught the eye of Tabane who seemed a little less cheery, but also more curious of Scott.

"Wait? So there's now two fourth generations?" Cecilia asked.

"No!" Both Tabane and Scott said in unison. They exchanged looks before Tabane went back on topic.

"Okay Houki-Pokey, let's go ahead and start your fitting and personalisation," The genius bunny suggested as she opened up the cockpit with the press of a button.

Chifuyu turned to look at Houki with a serious but calm face, "Well mount up Shinonono."

Once Houki was in the IS, Tabane hooked up some wires to it and brought up a holographic computer screen and started coding, "Now I already have some of your personal data uploaded and running, so I just have to update it with your latest information."

The rest of the gang was in awe at how fast she was coding, "Her speed is simply amazing!" Rin commented.

"Okay, the fitting is all done now. That was super fast. I did great, huh. Now take it out for a test run, try flying it. It should move exactly how you imagine it will."

Houki had a determined look on her face, "Okay, I'm ready to give it a shot." She then closed her eyes and the IS lifted off the ground with ease as it started flying. It took off in a split second at super sonic speed, amazing everyone.

"Okay, that's really fast," Rin said.

"So Houki, what do you think? It moves even better than you thought it would doesn't it?" Tabane inquired.

"Yeah! I guess," Houki replied with an excited, surprised voice.

"Hey Scott, I wonder if yours is as fast as Houki's," Ichika inquired, nudging his friend in the side.

"It's time to find out I guess," Scott said excitedly with a grin on his face. He deployed his IS and shot into the sky, "Phoenix, can you increase my speed output to maximum. No more holding back."

"Are you sure about this sir?" Phoenix asked.

"Yes I'm sure. Trust me, I've flown full speed before."

"Thrusters have been permitted one-hundred percent power. Whenever you're ready," Phoenix announced.

Scott then let loose and caught up to Houki in seconds, "Hey there!" Scott greeted with a salute and wide grin.

"Huh?! Scott, what are you doing here?" Houki asked in surprise.

"I'm here to test the limits of your IS as well as mine," he explained.

"Are you sure that's okay with Miss Orimura?"

Just then Chifuyu popped up on a screen, "Shinonono, Stalker will be part-taking in this exercise. Both of you will test the ability of the Akatsubaki."

"Understood," Scott and Houki replied.

Scott still had a grin plastered on his face as he turned to face her, "Let's see which is better."

"You're on!"

Tabane reappeared on another screen to speak with them, "Try using the swords Houki. The Amaskii is the one on the right, and the Kirowiri is on the left. I'll go ahead and send you some data on the weapon specifications."

Houki and Scott both came to a stop producing their weapons. Scott materialized Blister while Houki brought out her katanas. Houki quickly tested out one of her katanas which shot out lasers when she swung the blade.

"Holy..." was all Houki could say in astonishment.

From down below, Ichika and the other girls were in awe from the two IS'. "That was very nicely done, and now you can try dealing with these next. Good luck Sis!" Tabane applauded before having an anti-aircraft turret appear and shoot a bunch of homing missiles.

Houki made quick work of the missiles with just one swing and they all exploded. Another round of them was coming, but before Houki could swing Scott jumped in the way and started shooting them.

He picked them off one by one in quick succession, missing a shot or two until there was only a small handful left. He flew away to get away from the missiles that had locked onto him instead, and materialized Mustang and Sally. Once he did, Scott reversed his thrusters and did a backflip in midair to dodge the missiles and shot the rest in a split second before they could turn around.

Everyone seemed to be in awe from his improved skills, even Charlotte; the person who taught him how to shoot properly.

A third and fourth wave came at both of them, and Houki swung both swords in an X shape, exploding all the missiles. But even more came out from within the smoke created from the blast. Scott quickly flew over to her and fired all his bullets as fast as he could to take out the remaining ones. His sudden movement startled Houki causing her to fly backwards out of his way, but he missed a missile and it exploded in his face. The explosion covered a ten meter radius and there was thick black smoke all over with no sign of Scott.

Everyone, including Tabane and Chifuyu were worried. "Scott?!" Houki called for him through the comm in a worried tone.

Soon the smoke cleared and Scott was still there, coughing from all the smoke. The gang was relieved to see him still alive, but what caught Tabane and Chifuyu's attention was that he was unscathed apart from inhaling a little smoke.

"I'm alright. I'm alright. Just a little smoke I inhaled," Scott reassured.

"Stalker, next time don't rush in. You blocked Houki's line of fire," Chifuyu ordered.

"I know, I know. Understood," He replied.

Both Houki and Scott returned to the group and dismissed their IS'.

"Super duper!" Tabane commented before laughing like a crazy woman.

"Oh no! Miss Orimura," Miss Yamada yelled while she ran as fast as she could to reach the group, holding her phone in one hand.

She ran up to Chifuyu and showed her the phone's screen, which showed an emergency situation alert, "Look at this!"

Chifuyu took the phone and opened the alert, "It's a level A priority mission, and apparently it seems the counter measures have already been activated... This test is suspended for now! I'm afraid there's something I'll be needing you all for."

Miss Yamada looked up from catching her breath and noticed Tabane, "Hang on, who's that strangely dressed woman?" She asked.

"That's Tabane Shinonono," Chifuyu answered, causing Miss Yamada to cover her mouth with her hands and scream in shock.

* * *

Back in the control room the group was sitting around a large holographic map while Chifuyu was standing in front of them and Miss Yamada was at the computer. Everyone was a little tense, knowing that something had happened as they waited for instructions.

On the big screen behind Chifuyu a series of data popped up, alerting them that an unknown IS has entered Japan airspace.

"Two hours ago, the Silverio Gospel; a third generation IS nicknamed, 'The Gospel' jointly developed by America and Israël went rogue. Reports indicate that the unit went 'running wild' during test maneuvers that were being carried out in the seas near Hawaii. Where it is now come that it has disappeared from the area it was originally observed. What's important; is that according to our information, it was an unmanned unit."

Ichika was in thought as he listened, "Again?"

Scott, who was sitting beside Ichika heard him and looked at him with a confused expression. He continued to stare at his friend, wondering what he had meant by that until Chifuyu spoke once more.

"As you can see, satellite tracking now indicates that the Gospel will be passing through our airspace just two kilometers from our present coordinates. That will occur fifty minutes from now. The orders we've just received from the Academy board of directors have made us responsible for handling the situation. As we speak the instructors are taking the training units and locking down the air and sea perimeters. The rest of the action will be handled by the students who have personal units."

Ichika's face twisted in surprise from what he heard his older sister say, "Say what?!"

The boy then turned to Laura who spoke up after his outburst, "In other words, we will be the ones to stop that 'out-of-control' IS."

Ichika was about to freak out again when he felt someone put a hand on his shoulder, "Calm down Ichika. We can do this," Scott reassured.

"Before we begin the official mission brief, this is the time for any question you may have," Chifuyu stated as she crossed her arms looking at the group. Cecilia was the first one to put up her hand after Chifuyu spoke, "Ma'am, I would like to have the full specs and data on the target IS."

"That's reasonable request, but keep in mind if any of this information is leaked; you will be tried in a court of inquiry and have a minimum of two years house arrest."

Cecilia nodded her head in understanding. Once she received the data, the british girl started mulling over it, mumbling to herself, "This type of artillery is designed for widespread annihilation," she said in a worried tone. "And like my own IS, it seems the Gospel is capable of all ranges of attack."

Meanwhile Scott was busy thinking to himself, _"Widespread annihilation huh. That could be troublesome without some way of dodging it completely."_

"Sir, I know what you're thinking, but it hasn't been tested in real combat yet," Phoenix advised.

 _"Actually it has been. The test run earlier proved it,"_ Scott grinned.

"That could've been a fluke, the risks are too high if you ask me."

 _"You won't know until you try Phoenix. My Dad always said, 'One won't know their limits if they don't push past their fear of not knowing.' An odd saying, but it's true."_

"Fine. I'll start the process and get it ready for full use."

 _"Thank you Phoenix."_

Scott came back to reality while Charlotte was speaking, "I think that continuous defense will be quite difficult."

Laura was busy thinking before she spoke up about the Gospel, "This data leaves it's hand-to-hand capabilities unknown... Can we do some preliminary recon?"

"No, that won't be possible. The problem is the target is currently moving across the ocean at supersonic speeds. So we'll only have one chance to intercept it."

Miss Yamada, who was listening in the entire time decided to speak up finally, "But if they're just going to have one chance at it, then that means only a unit that has single shot kill capabilities will have a chance at hitting it."

Scott leaned over to Ichika and whispered to him, "You do know that's you right?"

"Yeah, wait what?!" Ichika nearly jumped.

"Your One-Off ability is what we need Ichika," Scott stated with a serious tone.

"But the problem will be how to get him to the coordinates. Success will be difficult unless he conserves all his energy to use in the attack. So how will we get him there?" Charlotte explained.

"That's difficult. He doesn't have an IS with enough speed to catch up to the target." Laura commented.

"Wait, now just hold on. I'm the one who's going?!" Ichika asked in frustration.

"Well of course!" All the girls answered.

"Would you sto-"

"Would you stop complaining. You're the only one here with a single shot kill ability, it should be obvious you're the one to go," Scott interjected.

"Yes, but how am I suppose to hit it?"

"Deploy your head piece," Scott said.

"Why?"

"Just do it."

Ichika obeyed and deployed his head piece, turning to Scott for further instructions.

"Hello Ichika, my name is Phoenix. I'm Scott's A.I."

Ichika was surprised to hear another voice as a comm popped up, "Right? Why am I talking to you?"

"I'm here to help. Now you may already know this, but you're more than capable of completing the mission. You just need to get your head in the game," Phoenix explained.

"Uh-huh," Ichika said in a confused tone. The others around him save Scott were confused as to who Ichika was speaking with, since it was a private channel.

"Judging from your unit's data, Byakushiki can use it's One-Off ability in it's first shift. That ability as you know can take out an IS in one hit. We need that to take out the Gospel, as no other unit has an ability like yours, not even Scott's," Phoenix continued.

"Your point being?"

"The point I'm trying to get across is that you need to stop being a child and focus on the task at hand. A lot can go wrong if this unmanned unit decides to head to the mainland and attack cities. Now I make it sound like it's the end of the world, which could put pressure on you. But you shouldn't worry about that. I've looked over recordings of your mock battles and you have talent, but you get ahead of yourself and don't think things through."

"So plan my attacks?" Ichika asked.

"Yes. Goodluck," Phoenix cut the comm off and Ichika dismissed his head piece to realize that everyone was looking at him. "What?"

"Who were you talking to?" Rin asked while the other girls agreed.

"Don't look at me, ask him," Ichika said pointing towards Scott. They all looked at him as he had a serious face.

"That's not important at the moment," Scott stated. Meanwhile Chifuyu examined him carefully, _"Was that his A.I I was informed about?"_

"Alright that's settled. So at the present time, the personal IS unit that's able to go the fastest will-"

"Hold it! Hold it!" Tabane shouted as she appeared out of the ceiling, having removed the tile. "Just put this operation on hold for a minute, okay."

Tabane quickly jumped out of the ceiling and onto the floor, then quickly scurried towards Chifuyu, "Chi-chan! Chi-chan! Guess what, I have an even better plan that's in my head, and now it's.. printing, hehe, so where's your printer?"

"Will you leave?" Chifuyu asked in an irritated tone while she rubbed her temple.

Tabane started shaking Chifuyu back and forth, "Just listen, kay? First off it's definitely the Akatsubaki's turn to shine!"

"What?!" Chifuyu asked, surprised as everyone else, Houki included.

* * *

Out in a forest of the island, Houki stood at the top of a large rock near a creek created from a water fall. She held out her right hand that had Akatsubaki's standby form, a bracelet with two bells, wrapped around and called to it, _"Alright Akatsubaki, let's go!"_

Within seconds the red IS was equipped to Houki.

"Alright now Houki. Unfolding armour activate!" Tabane said, and the Akatsubaki's thrusters shifted position and activated plasma armour which was emitting from the thrusters, making it look like a glowing pink butterfly.

"Unfolding armour is now standard to all fourth generation IS models. To put it in simple terms, the Akatsubaki is the next evolutionary step of the Yukihira Nagata!" Tabane explained, shocking everyone present.

"The next step?" Houki asked in awe, looking at her IS.

"That's right, and I used unfolding armour for the entire units body! Yahoo!" Tabane shouted excitedly, before changing to a less cheerful expression, "Still, we do have to deal with that."

"Hey I bet things running amuck by the ocean really reminds you of the Shirokishi incident, huh?" Tabane asked her best friend, who was caught off guard by the question, "I-uh-!"

Tabane had a slight blush and was in a mischievous mood as she appeared near Chifuyu, "I know who was in the Shirokishi, huh Chi-chan?"

"I have no idea," Chifuyu answered in an irritated tone.

"Well, I bet it is was someone who has a thirty-five inch bustli-" She was cut off as Chifuyu wacked Tabane in the head with her notepad. "That's so cruel Chi-chan! You've split poor Miss Tabane's brain right in two!" Tabane complained while she rubbed her head.

"Well isn't that nice? Now the left half of your brain can take turns thinking with the right half."

"Oh. Good one, yay! Hehe, you're so smart Chi-chan!" Tabane exclaimed as she jumped onto Chifuyu before the Brynhildr could do anything.

"Let's get back on topic!" Chifuyu yelled as she forcefully pushed Tabane off her. "Okay super genius, how long until the adjustments to the Akatsubaki are finished?"

Cecilia looked like she wanted to speak up, but then looked at Scott and put her head down.

"I can finish adjusting the Akatsubaki in seven minutes, no problem."

"Fine, that's it. The mission brief is; Orimura and Shinonono will engage the Gospel. She drives, he shoots. Let's blow that thing away people. We launch in thirty minutes, ready or not. So, don't just stand there! Get your asses moving!" Chifuyu explained in a dead serious tone.

Scott walked up to Chifuyu as she was walking back to the control room, "Ma'am, I may be of use in this mission if I were to tag along. I may be a little bit behind Houki's IS with her new unfolding armour, but I can still help."

"I won't allow that."

"Why not? I've been training and you've seen my skills earlier."

"Those were impressive, but this is real combat against a real threat. Sending in one inexperienced pilot is bad enough, I'm not sending in two."

"But Ma'am-"

"No buts!" Chifuyu interjected.

 _"I have an ability that could prove useful,"_ Scott finished in his mind.

"Fine," Scott said in an annoyed tone leaving Chifuyu.

The Brynhildr watched him leave, her face softening somewhat.

"Maybe next time, sir," Phoenix said in Scott's earpiece.

Meanwhile back at the waterfall Ichika was still standing in his place looking up at Houki. The purple haired girl was looking off in the distance before she turned to face Ichika, and both continued to stare at each other until someone ruined the peaceful silence, "Well, this has a nice feeling to it," Tabane teased her sister.

"Wha- no, you got it all wrong," Houki stuttered, frowning in the process.

"Aw, now don't make such a frowny face baby sister. Your face will freeze like that," Tabane teased some more.

"This was the face I was born with," Houki said, irritated.

"Oh yes, that's right. Anyway let's finish those adjustments to the Akatsubaki!"

Ichika turned away from Houki and looked in the direction of where everyone else went, _"I've got to make this work. I'm the only one who can do it, who can execute a one-shot kill."_

* * *

Meanwhile back in Scott's town, Hugh and Brevin were in the middle of training when both of them heard the doorbell ring. Both of them took a towel and wiped their faces and wrapped it around their necks as they walked upstairs.

"You expecting someone?" Brevin asked.

Hugh shook his head, "No. It's probably some company trying to sell their product to me."

"Does that happen often?"

"Yeah, it does. Can be tiresome to try and get rid of them," Hugh explained.

Both reached the front door and opened it. Hugh didn't mind Brevin being seen since he only had some camo pants on and an undershirt, nothing suspicious. They were met with three men in business suits carrying suitcases. The lead man took off his sunglasses and put them in his pocket, as he did that Hugh noticed a scars on his chin and another near his right eye.

"Hello?" Hugh greeted.

"Hi, my name's David Murphy. I'm a sales manager at BestCo., and this is my assistant," David explained then put on arm on the man to his right.

"Then who's he?" Hugh looked at the other guy.

"Oh he's a trainee I recently hired. May we come in?" David asked.

Hugh closed the close slightly, seeing as the other two also seemed to have marks or scars, "No thank you. We don't want anything."

"It'll only take a moment of your time," David assured.

"Thanks, but I'm fine. I have all the things I need," Hugh denied as he was about to close the door, until David stuck his foot in the doorway.

"Can we not talk?"

"I'd like you to get off my property."

David then shoved the door open and the other two took out pistols. Both Brevin and Hugh looked at each other and ran in different directions. Hugh being followed by David and Brevin being followed by the other two.

Hugh ran downstairs and slammed Scott's rec-room door shut and locked it, then threw one of the book cases in the way. David started slamming on the door trying to open it.

"Open this damn door you piece of shit!" He yelled.

"Who are you?!" Hugh yelled as he searched Scott's extra room for a weapon. He found a screw driver in the toolbox sitting next to the workbench and wielded it like a combat knife, blade facing down as he held it near his face.

"Who I am is irrelevant. Now let me in!" David yelled as the door kept creaking and cracking from the force.

Hugh moved to the wall beside the door and unlocked the doorknob with his weapon ready. As soon as he unlocked it David came crashing in. Hugh jumped on him as he tried stabbing the businessman.

"Who are you?!" Hugh shouted.

David only smiled as he was struggling to keep the screwdriver from touching his face. He then let go and quickly moved to the side by rolling over, causing the screwdriver to miss it's target.

Both David and Hugh got up and started exchanging blows. Hugh lunged the driver at David's gut, who backed up and swung a right hook at Hugh's face. It met it's mark causing the middle-aged man to lose balance. David took advantage of this and grabbed Hugh by the shoulders and kneed him in the face.

Hugh got back up, dodging an axe kick in the process and jabbed the screw driver into david's leg, earning a yell. He then elbowed the screw driver, digging it further in and causing Hugh's opponent to falter and crouch on one knee. Hugh kept up the pace and punched David square in the jaw and then kicked him in the gut.

David pulled the screw driver out and stabbed Hugh's foot with it, then got up and tackled Hugh, crashing through the door into the training area of the basement, and Hugh landed on some equipment in the process. David got up, still on top of Hugh and started punching him repeatedly in the face, while Hugh choked him.

"Just fucking die!" Hugh shouted.

Gunshots were heard upstairs as well as crashing and banging while David and Hugh both tried making the other pass out or die.

Hugh used all his force to throw David off him and got up once more with a bloodied and bruised face, limping on one foot.

David was in a similar situation and he was limping badly due to the deep wound in his thigh and rubbed his now bruised neck. "What do you want from me?" Hugh asked in a muffled voice from swelling.

"We simply want _you_ Mr. Stalker," David replied as he put his fists up.

"I'll die before you capture me!"

"We'll see about that."

Hugh charged at David, tackling him and then punched his throat causing David to choke. Hugh then started beating him up until he had no strength left and his opponent was limp.

Despite having no energy left, Hugh slowly and painfully got up from the body and went back inside his son's recreational room. He opened the window and did his best to climb out, wincing in pain from his injuries. Once he was out he took out his phone and dialed a number. Moments went by before someone picked up, "Hugh, what is it?" Susan asked.

"I've been attacked," Hugh struggled to say.

"Oh my god, are you alright?! Where are you? I'm sending a team to you right now," Susan asked as she ordered people around.

"I'm at my place," Hugh answered as he steathily moved towards the front gate of his property. Well, as stealthily as an injured person could. When he reached the front yard he saw that the rest of his team had been taken out. "Looks like the team you sent me has been killed."

Hugh looked around to see if anyone else was waiting for him, but it looked clear. He also took note that the fighting upstair stopped, which worried him. Hugh quickly made his way to the front gate and opened it, causing the gate to creak.

"Don't worry, another team is on the way. Just find a safe place to hide until they arrive," Susan explained in a calm voice.

"Easy for you to say," Hugh commented as he limped along the road.

"Did you get a good look at them?" Susan asked.

"Yeah, one of them has two scars on his face; one on the chin and another to the right of his right eye. Both look like wounds from a knife. I'm not su-"

Hugh was pistol whipped on the back of the head rendering him unconscious. The perpetrator was one of the henchmen, "We can't have you leaking our identities." He picked Hugh up as a Black SUV rolled up to them and threw him inside. The man then walked over to David who was currently sitting against the concrete wall and helped him into the SUV.

"Bastard's lucky I need him alive," muttered David as he got in the SUV.

Back at the control room Susan was currently in, she was watching a screen which showed two dots on what looked like a map of the city. Both of them were green, one was stationary while the other was moving quickly towards the former.

"Hugh?!... Hugh?! Are you there Hugh?!" Susan yelled, hearing the noise. Before the SUV drove off she heard a faint voice.

"Isolate that voice and find out who targeted him!" Susan shouted to the agents in front of her.

"Ma'am, what would you like the team closing in do?" One of the agents asked.

"Have them search the place for any clues, Hugh will be long gone before they arrive," Susan ordered, gritting her teeth.

Minutes later another agent spoke up, "Ma'am, the database doesn't recognize the voice."

"Damn it," Susan said to herself. _"He was right after all. This is bad. Whatever they want from him, no good will come out of it. I need to inform Chifuyu of this incident, immediately... I hate it when he's right,"_ Susan grit her teeth again.

* * *

Now I don't have much of an excuse other than procrastination. I have the ideas and everything. Just most of the writing is being done on my phone, since it's the only thing I always have with me rather than a computer or laptop. So it leads to me procrastinating or getting distracted. But my lame excuse aside here's episode 10 in a nutshell.

It may be lame that I'm sticking close to Canon at the moment, but it will deviate overtime.

Now before I forget could someone tell me the names of the side characters at the beginning, the one's with Nohohon. I forgot their names.

Also if you are reading this, I have uploaded a one-shot called, "Seeds of Hatred" which is a back story to an OC I've developed, and the story hints to Infinite Stratos.

One more chapter until we reach the Gospel fight, yay!

 **TalonAlpha3** , **PearlTapioca -** Ah! Ooo, that hurts ya know. I didn't mean to make it look like I shot down our blue kitty. I guess the small hint at the end of that scene was too subtle. Scott does find her cute. And for both of you, I am reading the stories still, just slowly. Heh, it's what I do.

 **Kerlongsj Evert Orlejov -** Glad to see you like Scott so far. Further in you'll see his behaviour change a lot. Depends on the person, and his personality. Which as a child he was energetic, until his mother's death. Regarding his secrets, I have the gist of them planned out. And I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far.

Um, I think that's it. Fav, follow, review if you wish. Peace!

 **Edit/P.S:** I strongly recommend reading my one-shot, "The Seeds of Hatred." It seems irrelevant to the story, but in due time it will help the reader understand what's going on. I just thought it'd be cool to do a one-shot that ties into this story.


	6. Unease

Hey guys, I'm back with the next chapter, "Unease." Be warned, there is swearing.

"Talking"

 _"Thoughts"_

* * *

 **Unease**

* * *

It was bright out at the beach as Ichika looked up at the sky, protecting his eyes with his arm. He looked at the arm band and the current time popped up, 'Eleven thirty AM,' as an alarm went off.

Houki walked up to him and they both looked at each other before nodding. Ichika outstretched his arm, "Now, Byakushiki!" Ichika shouted, deploying his IS.

Houki did the same as she outstretched her arm, "Here we go, Akatsubaki!" Within a second both students were in their IS units hovering over the water.

"Okay Houki, it's on!" Ichika said with determination.

"You know, I'd have never let a man go before me before this. But I think a can make a special exemption this time, especially since we're alone together," Houki said. Ichika smiled before flying closer to Houki, seemingly unfazed by her comment.

Back in the control room Scott was shaking his head in disappointment, _"Is he stupid? Her comment and somewhat subtle hint didn't even faze him? But from a different perspective, her comment did sound a little creepy, you know, if she were a man and a bit older."_

"Why do you worry about such things, if I may ask?" Phoenix inquired.

 _"I don't know. I'm a guy, and a friend. And I'm in a school full of girls, save Ichika. How would I not worry about that?"_ Scott replied.

"... You have a point," Phoenix said. "Then how come you didn't take the chance _you_ were given?"

 _"Her? I don't know. She's cute, and seems smart. But she also seems mischievous as well. I didn't mean to turn her down, but in all honesty I'd like to know her more before I decide."_

"Yes, she does seem that way. But you seem to be supporting both Houki and Charlotte in their endeavours, why is that?" Phoenix asked.

 _"I'm a nice guy, you know that. Plus Charlotte has helped me a lot with training, I thought I should help in return, whatever it may be,"_ Scott answered.

"Yes, nice enough to hack into government databases for upgrades," Phoenix joked. "I see, but how come you're helping Houki?"

 _"Phoenix, as much as I like talking to you, now's not the time to be talking about this."_

"Orimura, Shinonono, do you read me?" Chifuyu called, opening a channel.

"Yes Ma'am."

"We read you loud and clear," Houki replied.

"The success of this mission is dependant on a one-shot-kill, so get in there and finish it off as quickly as you can," Chifuyu said. "Your target, the rogue IS unit, will simply be referred to as, 'The Gospel,' is that clear?"

Both students agreed.

"Um, Miss Orimura. Should I continue to support Ichika with tactical support as the situation calls for it?" Houki inquired with a somewhat excited and nervous voice.

" _If_ the situation calls for it, yes. But don't push yourself too hard, remember you have no combat experience in the Akatsubaki. It's a prototype unit, and an unforeseen problem could suddenly arise," Chifuyu answered.

"Understood Ma'am. But I'll do what I can to the best of my ability." Her resolve and reply confused Ichika, and worried the others.

"Does Houki sound a little strange?" Rin asked the others.

"Yes, she sounded that way to me too," Cecilia agreed.

"I can understand but..." Charlotte trailed off.

"She's overconfident," Scott commented.

Chifuyu turned to Miss Yamada, "Open a private channel to Orimura."

"Right," Miss Yamada listened.

"Ichika," Chifuyu called out.

"Uh, yes?" Ichika's body tensed.

"The reason I'm using a private channel is so that Shinonono can't overhear our conversation, so play dumb," Chifuyu explained. "I think she's getting a little carried away. She's overly excited and in that frame of mind she could make a fatal mistake. Should anything happen, lend her your support."

"I'll keep that in mind," Ichika replied.

"Very well," Chifuyu finished before turning back to Miss Yamada.

"Switching to an open channel, standing by," the short woman stated. The sound alert went off indicating that the channel has been opened.

"Commence the operation!"

Back at the beach, Ichika put his hands on Houki's shoulders when his sister ordered them to begin. "Ready?" Houki asked.

"Always," Ichika replied before Houki flew off at an incredible speed, earning a short scream of surprise from the former.

"The ignition boost cannot even compare to this," Charlotte exclaimed in surprise.

"Such astonishing speed..." Laura commented.

"Yeah, I know how it feels to fly that fast," Scott bragged as he put his arms behind his head. All the girls gave him blank stares or deadpanned looks. In return Scott laughed nervously, "Sorry bragging isn't my thing, and I chose a bad time. Just trying to lighten the mood here."

"Establishing temporary sattellite link, information collation complete. The target's current location has been confirmed. Ichika are you ready to go in?"

"Yeah."

Houki activated her unfolding armour and increased her speed. A screen popped up which showed the Gospel flying in the air. "Ichika I see it!"

"Yeah, that's the Silverio Gospel all right," Ichika commented.

"I'm increasing speed, just ten seconds until we make contact with the target," Houki forewarned. Ichika slowly got up and stood in a crouching position as he activated Reiraku Byakuya. They were closing in on the target until it turned around and quickly evaded the hit, flying away in the process.

"Keep going! Don't slow down Houki," Ichika shouted as he got ready for a second try.

The unmanned unit processed some information and separated Houki and Ichika by firing at them both.

Both were being targeted almost simultaneously making it hard for them to attack.

"Houki listen, let's try hitting it from the left and right at the same time. I'll take right, you take left. Got it?"

"Understood," Houki replied. She stopped in midair and materialized her katanas, getting ready to attack.

Both charged at the unmanned unit, but it simply flew backwards while targeting them with a wide range attack, forcing the two students to dodge and weave the attacks instead.

"Ichika, I'm going to try and cut off it's movement," Houki informed her teammate.

"Got it!"

Houki activated her unfolding armour, and released two BITs to attack the Gospel and distract it. One of them hit causing the unit to falter allowing Houki to tackle it. She held onto the Gospel tightly as she turned to her friend, "Ichika, engage now!"

"Roger!" Ichika shouted as he charged at the two units. He looked over to his right and saw a ship in the waters, which concerned him. He flew past Houki and the Gospel, missing his chance to eliminate the target and stood guard over the vessel's direction.

The Gospel shot at Houki while she was distracted and shoved her away while shooting at her, increasing the distance between the two.

"What the hell are you doing?! You just blew our chance at defeating it!" Houki complained over the comm.

"Our intelligence was wrong, the teachers didn't scan the water. There's a ship down there!" Ichika explained, not realizing he messed up.

"A ship?" Houki asked. A pop-up on screen showed a small ship that had no nationality slowly floating along the ocean.

"It looks like a poaching vessel," Ichika stated.

Back at the control room Scott looked around and noticed Chifuyu was gone. He took this chance to leave the room, before she came back; knowing she wouldn't allow him to leave. He opened the door to the courtyard and stepped outside closing the door behind him. He turned around when he heard someone call out to him, "Where do you think you're going?" Chifuyu asked.

Scott turned around and found her leaning against the wall, "I, uh, was going to the bathroom," he stuttered.

"We both know that's not what you were going to do."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Scott said as he turned to leave.

"You plan on going out there to help Ichika and Houki, right?" Chifuyu's deduction caused Scott to stop in his tracks and a smirk appeared on the former's face. "Your behavior is quite predictable. You may put up a front, but I can tell what you're thinking."

"You know they can't win by themselves. Ichika just blew their only chance, that unmanned unit has an intelligent A.I in it," Scott stated, back still facing her.

"What, so you plan on going out there alone to save the day. With no battle experience?"

"It doesn't matter if I have no battle experience."

"So you're going to go out there with whatever it is you have up your sleeve and win?" Chifuyu inquired.

"That's the plan," Scott said. "I don't care if I get hurt, I care if _they_ get hurt. I can't sit idly by when I know I can do something."

"You may not care if you get hurt, but your friends do. Your A.I probably does.. I do as well," Chifuyu said.

"So you're here to watch over me. Is that it?"

"I'm your teacher, it's my job to. I didn't want to send Shinonono out there, or Orimura. But Orimura has the most battle experience and Houki's unit is the fastest," Chifuyu explained.

"Are you here to stop me?" Scott asked as he turned back to look at Chifuyu.

"No, I'm here to give you a choice. Go out there and _save_ the day, whether you get hurt in the process or not. Or... stay here and choose to believe in your friends," Chifuyu said before she opened the door to the control room and entered.

"It's your choice," Phoenix said.

Scott stood where he was for a few minutes before he grit his teeth and reluctantly went back inside the control room.

Tears formed in Houki's eyes as she dropped her katanas, effectively dematerializing them as she stared at her hands in shock. "I, I was just-"

 _"So, is IT out energy too?"_ Ichika wondered as he stared at the unmoving target.

Seconds later it flew a little higher and spun it's body, spraying a barrage of plasma lasers at Houki. Ichika saw that Houki was too caught up in her own feelings that she didn't notice the barrage.

Ichika flew as fast as he could to block the attack from hitting Houki, and as he flew past her she came to her senses and watched Ichika take the full brunt of the attack. "Ichika!" She screamed as she went to catch the unconscious boy.

The explosion which knocked Ichika out burned some of Houki's hair and seriously wounded Ichika as it shot both of them into the ocean.

Scott grit his teeth as he ran out of the room, earning confused and worried looks from the other girls. Scott materialized Phoenix and flew off in the direction of the explosion as fast as he could.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!" Scott yelled in frustration. "I knew I should've went! It's my fault this happened!"

"It's not your fault. Don't push yourself too hard. It'll only make things worse," Phoenix advised.

"It is my fault, I knew this would happen and yet I decided to listen to Chifuyu," Scott blamed himself.

"You made the right decision to believe in your friends, even if it turned out like this. It's better to believe in those around you than doubt everyone like you do," Phoenix explained.

"It's not that I doubt everyone. It's that I don't want lose anyone else."

"I know. I read your memories..." Phoenix commented.

Scott reached the area of the explosion and looked for the ship they crashed near. Phoenix spotted it for him and he dove into the ocean.

 _"Can you see them?"_ Scott asked in a worried tone.

"Barely, they're down further. About four-hundred meters deep. I'm not sure the suit can withstand the pressure Scott," Phoenix advised.

 _"I don't care about the suit Phoenix, I can fix you later. I can't fix a dead person."_ Scott activated his thrusters, and put them to maximum output and shot down further into the ocean. Despite being at full throttle, Scott wasn't going all that fast. The water pressure was slowing him down significantly.

The further he went, the more system alerts popped up, warning him that the suit has been damaged. "Thrity-five percent of the shield energy has been depleted. And fifteen percent of the armour has sustained damage," Phoenix advised.

 _"Just a little further Phoenix."_ Scott was visibly able to see his friends now, both unconscious and sinking further.

"Sixty percent of the shield energy is depleted, and twenty-five percent of the armour has sustained damage."

 _"You're not helping Phoenix!"_ Scott complained as he worry increased.

Eventually he reached the two and picked them up in his arms. _"Yes, all right. Let's head back before my systems fail,"_ Scott suggested.

"Shield energy is at thirty percent and falling. Armour is at sixty-four percent and falling," Phoenix advised as Scott slowly flew up to the surface.

Once he reached the surface he started flying back to the resort hotel as fast as his unit would allow him. "Can you give me a full damage report?"

"Shield energy is at twenty-five percent. Armour has sustained forty percent damage all over, mainly to the headpiece and thrusters. Weapons are unusable at the moment due to significant damage to the armour and comms are down," Phoenix listed all the damages.

"And what about my abilities?" Scott inquired.

"All of them are down."

"Damn it," Scott grit his teeth.

"Ichika, where's Ichika?" Houki asked as she woke up, coughing up water.

"Don't worry I got him, he's safe. I'm bringing you two back," Scott explained. He looked at Houki and saw she had minor burns across her chest and arms. But looking at Ichika, he had third and second degree burns all over accompanied by bruises. Whatever little shield energy he had left protected him somewhat, but he still had serious injuries even if they weren't fatal.

"How did you get here?" Houki asked as she finally woke up completely.

"I flew here as fast as I could after seeing the explosion. Both of you were underwater and unconscious," Scott explained.

"Underwater, how did you get us then?!"

Scott laughed, a hurt laugh, "It wasn't easy. If you two had sunk any further, I would've probably died trying to save you."

Houki examined Scott's suit after he said that and saw it was severely damaged. The headpiece was crushed, and the wings and thrusters damaged and sparking. His thrusters on his feet were stuttering slightly and the arms were missing pieces.

"You're lucky he came as soon as he did. Otherwise both you and Ichika would've drowned," Phoenix explained.

"Wait, who was that?" Houki asked in surprise.

"That was Phoenix," Scott said.

"Phoenix... Isn't that the name of your IS?" Houki inquired.

"You are correct. That is the name of his IS, but it's also my name. I'm essentially his IS," Phoenix explained.

"And you are?"

"I'm Phoenix, Scott's A.I."

"Well I hate to break up this meet and greet, but we're finally back," Scott stated as he landed on the shore. Chifuyu was waiting there with a medical team, she didn't look too happy and further up the shore at the top of the rocks, the girls were all standing there with worried expressions.

Scott dismissed his damaged IS and handed Ichika over to the medics. He then put an arm around Houki's waist and put her arm over his shoulder and around his neck to support her.

Chifuyu, "Get Orimura to a room as soon as you can and give him the proper treatment for his burns. This mission is a complete failure! If there are any changes to the situation I will convene a meeting, and until I do consider yourselves all on standby!" Chifuyu then quickly left the scene passing the girls along the way.

"You need to get proper treatment as well," Scott suggested to Houki, who became glum as soon as she saw how bad Ichika's condition was. She didn't give Scott a response.

"She's in shock," Phoenix stated.

 _"I know that,"_ Scott replied.

Scott guided Houki to his room after he asked Phoenix to send a doctor there. Once they got there Scott stepped outside his room so the doctor could treat her minor burns on the chest and arms.

Ten minutes later the doctor came out and explained everything, "She'll be fine. She only has minor first degree burns along her torso and arms. I told her how to properly take care of them, but she doesn't seem to want to speak. My guess is that she's in a lot of shock right now, so she'll need some time."

"I guessed as much," Scott commented before the doctor took his leave. The boy opened his rooms door and walked in. "So, how are you feeling?"

Silence...

"I see," Scott said aloud.

Houki just sat on the floor with her head down. Several minutes went by before she finally got up and left the room, ignoring Scott completely.

"Someone's having a bad day..." Scott commented as he got up and watched her walk down the hallway.

"It'd be best to leave her alone for now. She just went through a traumatic situation," Phoenix advised, concern evident in his voice.

"I know, I'm just worried."

Scott closed the door to his room and went in the opposite direction of Houki before a screen popped up in front of him, "Scott, where are you?" Charlotte asked.

"I'm going to fix Phoenix, since he took so much damage from the water pressure," Scott explained through the static connection.

"You're what? I can- you're breaking up," Charlotte said.

Scott sighed and cut the comm, "Message her."

"On it."

* * *

Back in the control room Chifuyu was currently watching the sattelite screen while Miss Yamada monitored the computer and any data that came in.

"It looks like it stopped now... Do you suppose headquarters would want us to continue the operation Ma'am?"

"Until we receive the order to stand down, we have no choice."

"But how? And with what means Ma'am?" Miss Yamada questioned.

Seconds later a knock was heard at the door, "Excuse me."

"Who is it?" Chifuyu inquired.

"It's Dunois," Charlotte said behind the door.

Chifuyu's face hardened, "You're on standby. You're not allowed to enter."

On the other side of the door Charlotte had a look of worry and looked back at the girls with her, who shrugged in return.

"We have to obey the orders of our superior," Laura stated with her arms crossed.

"But I am certain that she is as worried about Ichika as we are. She is his sister, no?" Charlotte reasoned.

"And he still hasn't regained consciousness yet," Cecilia commented.

"She did order Ichika's treatment, but she still hasn't gone over to check up on him," Rin said.

"Scott isn't answering my calls either. He hung up the last time, and I received a message from a 'Phoenix,' saying he's busy," Charlotte explained.

"Alright, what should we do?" Laura asked.

"Well, Miss Orimura hasn't gone over to speak with HouKi yet either. I understand the mission was a failure, but isn't that being rather insensitive towards her?" Cecilia asked.

"Right now she is concentrating on tracking the Gospel. The instructor is simply doing what she knows must be done," Laura explained. "However it must be difficult for her too. That's the reason she's locked herself in the control room. But would visiting Ichika do anything to help destroy the Gospel?"

"A much more pressing problem is at hand," Laura explained.

* * *

Hugh woke up tied to a wooden chair that was bolted to the ground with hand and leg restraints. He looked around and saw old machines all over with a railing ten meters in front of him and a ladder with it. Off to his left he saw a door that lead somewhere and to his right there was a big, old, dusty broken glass pane window.

Shortly after he woke up he heard the door open and six men walked in, including David. David was holding crutches and had bandages all over himself from his fight with Hugh.

Hugh noticed the other two men that were at his house, they also had wounds and shiners, but it was less severe compared to David's injuries. It's to be expected when it's two against one.

But one thing all six men had in common was the gear. Utility belts with grenades, concussions, flash bangs, ammo clips and a pistol. They had kevlar vests with ammo pockets and the assortment. On their back ranged from a variety of automatic rifles, from M16A4's and ACR's to QBZ-95's and Famas'. One of them had an L115A1.

"So, sleeping beauty is finally awake," David commented as he pulled up a chair to Hugh.

"What do you want?" Hugh asked.

"You know exactly what we want," David said as he leaned closer. "You put up quite the fight. I haven't been injured like this in a long time. It makes me wonder what you're really capable of, and I'd love to have another fight," David laughed, "Trust me I would, but I have work to do and information to obtain."

Hugh just glared at David while occasionally looking at the other men with him, "I see you're all mercenaries. Who hired you?"

David waved a finger in disapproval, "I get to ask the questions here, not you." He leaned back in his chair while he held his crutches, "So, tell me everything I need to know."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Hugh said blatantly.

"So that's how the lion wants to play huh?" David said sarcastically. He then waved a hand and one of the guys walked up to Hugh and started beating him until David told him to stop, "Personally I would be the one to beat you, but you crippled me for the moment. Now tell me all about your work," David asked.

Hugh spat blood at David, "Go to hell."

David had an irritated look as he wiped the bloody spit off his face, and then waved his hand again. This time one of the men came over and handed David a combat knife, who took it and swirled it in his hands, "You know what I love about torture? It's the resilience that some people possess," David said before he stabbed the knife into Hugh's leg, earning a loud cry of pain. David then twisted the knife, "It means I get to watch those resilient people slowly break until they beg me to stop, 'Please stop. I'll tell you anything, just stop the torture. I beg of you.'"

Hugh winced from the immense pain, "You'll never break me."

David used his forearm to hit the knife further into Hugh's leg, "We'll see about that." David then backed up his chair and waved at one of the guys to beat Hugh some more, leaving the knife in Hugh.

After another five minutes of beating David waved his guy to stop, "So, how are you doing so far?"

Hugh laughed in pain as he tried smiling, "I'm doing great."

David got up and walked over to Hugh, and pulled out the knife slowly with one hand, "I like you, you know that. It's that defiance you have," David said as he smiled sadistically. "I'm going to enjoy every bit of time with you. But for now I'm done for the day."

David started walking away as his men followed, "Running away already? I thought we were just getting started?" Hugh taunted.

David gave the knife to it's rightful owner, who then took it and walked over to Hugh and stabbed it into Hugh's hand, then walked away. Hugh cried in pain as it restricted his hand completely.

"Another day Hugh, another day," David said as he left the room.

* * *

Back in Chifuyu and Ichika's room was Ichika laying on a futon with an oxygen mask, IV, and life support machine. Beside his bed was Houki, who had her head down and was looking at her hands.

Houki's body started to quiver as she began to cry, "I _\- 'No! I won't turn my back on them!',_

 _'Idiot, you'd put protecting them ahead of this?!', 'Don't talk like that. That's not the Houki I know. You can't turn a blind eye towards them. Remember, with great power comes great responsibility._ '"

"No! That's not it. I haven't become blind. You would say that those guys are simply weak and need to be protected. But they break the law and hurt others. How is it that you're able to forgive them?... Is that your strength? It is, isn't it? That's what makes you so different. And compared to you..."

Houki raised her head as she stared at Ichika. "All this time I talked of strength, but have I just been using that to vent my inner rage?"

"In your eyes, that poaching vessel and I deserve to be protected equally. But I..." Houki clenched her fists.

A knock was heard at the door, "Shinonono, you really oughta get some rest as well you know. It won't help anything if you push yourself too hard and get sick because.. everyone will worry about you," Miss Yamada explained.

"But I want to be here."

"That won't do. Please go get some rest now. That was a direct order from Miss Orimura, understood?... Miss Shinonono?"

Houki got up from the floor and stood there for a few seconds before she slowly walked out of the room without a single word as she passed Miss Yamada, who watched the girl with a concerned look.

* * *

The sun was starting to set along the horizon as Houki ran as fast as she could along the beach. She kept running and running until she bumped into someone and knocked herself to the ground.

"Whoa, hey there. What's the matter? Why are running?" Scott asked in concern.

Houki just sat on the ground and started crying, ignoring Scott.

"Hey, come on now. Don't ignore me, that hurts ya know," Scott chuckled as he sat down beside her. "Is it about Ichika?"

Houki nodded her head slightly as she continued crying with her head buried in her legs.

"He'll be fine. We're all worried about him, but in the past couple months I've known him, he always pulls through," Scott reassured.

It did nothing.

She continued to cry as Scott rubbed her back to comfort her, "You want to know something?"

Scott took her silence as a yes and continued, "I blame myself for what happened. For what happened to you, and Ichika."

This caught her attention, "How? I was the one who nearly got him killed by losing focus."

"I blame myself because I was going to go out there and help you two as soon Ichika missed his chance."

Scott continued to comfort her as he explained some more, "I knew Chifuyu wouldn't let me so I snuck out when I had the chance, but she was waiting for me. She gave me a choice, to either go out there and help you two or stay and believe in you guys... I reluctantly decided to stay. Then, _that_ happened."

"I immediately blamed myself for not choosing to help and rushed to you both as fast as I could," Scott explained as he watched the setting sun.

"But why?" Houki asked in a meek and sad voice.

"It's because I already lost someone I loved. My mother died in a car accident four years ago, and I was traumatized by it. I denied the truth for so long, that she was just off on another business trip or something and had been hung up at work," Scott answered.

Houki looked up at her friend and saw the tears in his eyes as he stared off into the distance, "I'm sorry to hear that."

Scott wiped his tears, "Don't be. It's in the past. The reason I ran to get you guys as soon as I could is because I didn't want to lose more people I love and care about." He let out a depressed laugh, "I nearly died in the process too. Phoenix took some serious damage in protecting me from the water pressure."

He pulled Houki into a hug with his one arm, "Don't blame yourself for what happened. You thought what you were doing was right, as did I."

Houki leaned into Scott's chest while tears continued to fall, "But if I had just focused, none of this would've happened."

"And if I had just been there to help none of that would've happened. But that's where we're both wrong. Even if I did come and help, and you stayed focused, the Gospel still would've won," Scott said.

"How do you know that?" Houki asked.

"I don't, but I believe that to be true."

"That's reassuring," Houki gently punched his chest.

Scott laughed, "I know right?"

"You weren't planning on running away were you?" Scott asked.

Houki blushed slightly as she turned her head away, "No..."

Scott chuckled, "You were, weren't you?"

Houki sighed in defeat, "Yeah, I was planning on quitting."

"What, for one defeat?! That's not right at all, if you get knocked down, you get right back up and try again, no matter how impossible it may seem," Scott said.

"Easy for you to say, you built your own IS, you know everything about it."

"And you had a custom made IS especially for you. That's no different," Scott countered.

"Good to see you two are getting along," Rin said, startling to the two.

Scott got up with Houki beside him, "And you're here because?" Scott questioned.

"We've been looking for you two," Charlotte chimed in as the other girls walked up to them.

"For what? I've been in the maintenance room since I got back, until recently," Scott asked.

"We are going to strike back," Cecilia answered.

"That's against orders," Houki said.

"Break the rules... I like it," Scott said. "So what's the plan, assuming you have one?"

Houki was surprised by Scott's comment, "All right, I'm in I guess."

Laura partial deployed her Schwarzer Regen's arm piece and a screen popped up showing a sattelite view of the Gospel, "The target has been confirmed thirty kilometers from here, in the air and also off shore. The unit is currently in stealth mode, but does not seem to have any kind of optical camouflage. We were able to locate it's position via sattelite."

"That's the German Army Special Forces for ya," Rin commented.

"Phoenix?" Scott said.

"I'm on it," the A.I replied.

All the girls heard Scott say his IS' name and looked at him.

"What?" He asked, confused.

"Who is Phoenix?" Charlotte asked. "I received a message from him earlier, saying you were busy."

"He's my A.I."

"I thought Phoenix was the name of your IS?" Cecilia inquired.

"It is. But I named the A.I I built, Phoenix. And then integrated him into my IS, and essentially named it Phoenix as well. It can be confusing," Scott explained.

"I see," Laura commented. "How will we know who you are referring to then?"

Scott sighed and dug out some earpieces from his pocket, "Here, put these on and then you can communicate with Phoenix personally, no comms required. I do warn you, he doesn't like breaking laws," he explained as the girls put in the earpieces.

"Then shouldn't he be against this?" Rin asked.

Scott turned to her, "That's a very good question, but he obeys me. Anything I say, goes. But we're getting off topic here."

"Plus, I've pretty much become accustomed to his rule breaking habit," Phoenix chimed in, surprising all the girls.

"Now about the plan. Phoenix, could you be so kind to show me the map of the Gospel's location," Scott asked. Phoenix listened and a three dimensional sattelite layout appeared from Scott's chest piece.

Scott took a quick look at it before he spoke, "It seems to be shielded by plasma. I'm assuming it's regenerating any lost energy from the earlier fight."

"Then shouldn't we hit it now?" Houki asked.

"Yes, we should. But going in without a clear plan is too risky," Scott replied.

"Laura, I'd like to you to shoot it with your railgun from the shore to lure it out. As soon as the shield is down all our long range units will fire at once from multiple directions to maximize the possibility of hitting it. That will be Charlotte, Cecilia, Rin, and I. Laura can charge her railgun a second time. Houki will be the main force as she has the fastest IS, and strongest attack. Cecilia, Laura, and Rin will cover fire from a distance while Charlotte supports them with her Rapid-switch," Scott explained.

"And what about you?" Houki asked.

"My IS was designed for defense and support. I can stand on my own, but I think I'm better suited for support in this situation," Scott answered. "I will be supporting you all."

"And how will you do that if we're all spread out?" Cecilia inquired.

Scott grinned at her, "You'll see. Now is everyone ready?"

"Of course. The Shenlong's offensive specialization package has been installed," Rin answered.

"I'm ready to keep the British end up," Cecilia chimed in.

"Preparations are complete on my end," Charlotte answered.

"I'm ready," Laura replied.

Houki looked at Scott, "I'm ready whenever you are."

Scott's grin widened, "Good to hear. Now let's go have some fun."

"Oh boy," Phoenix sighed.

* * *

It was night and Laura was on top of a cliff on the shore as she charged her railgun and fired at the Gospel. It hit its mark as the smoke clouded their view of the Gospel, "First shot is a hit!"

Back at the control room the alarm was going off, "Ma'am that was-!"

"I saw," Chifuyu replied.

"But that's against orders! We have to call them back!" Miss Yamada exclaimed.

"I always suspected that it would come to this in the end," Chifuyu thought aloud.

* * *

Hello, and welcome back! I had a lot of inspiration going on in this chapter, plenty of thought trains and ideas coming in like crazy-ish. That is why this one is earlier than usual. Reading through it all in one go, it kinda seems short. Maybe it's just me.

Scott's role is underwhelming maybe? I had planned for him to be support. Not as an overall character just for the fight. His IS is built for defense and support.

Yeah, I uh, added a decent amount of non-canon stuff and changed scenes, the main one being the end beach scene. That one was a spur of the moment kinda thing, but I don't dislike it. I actually quite liked the train of thought and interaction between Houki and Scott. Maybe I'll add her to the harem. I'll think about it.

I like to think Phoenix is developing further and further away from Jarvis, which admittedly was what I initially used as his basis, to be similar to him. But I like how Phoenix is turning out. He does have a soul, somehow.

 **TalonAlpha3 -** Yes, the good part of the story is neigh. Pretty obvious prediction there. I guess I could've done a massive plot twist for the lols and just have Hugh get captured so David could have some tea and scones with him. But the darker route was my initial plan. Crime over comedy?

 **Kerlongsj** **Evert Orlejov -** Yes thank you. Spent a while planning out how this story is suppose to go. Scott is admittedly a copy of me really, but I do have him trailing off in his own direction as we move along. I just found using my personality as a baseline to be much easier than starting from scratch like I have with David.

Tatenashi, I mean, I like her because she's mischievous and sometimes comedic whether it be sexual or not. In regards to her romantic side if you can call it that, I mainly added her to the harem for the laughs, yes you heard me Talon and Pearl, the laughs. If she were less sexual and mischievous and more serious, maybe she'd get a chance. It's up to me really, I don't know, we'll see.

Not much else to say. You can fav, follow, and review if you wish. Peace!


	7. The Gospel

Hello, hello! The season 1 finale is here! Due note, I'm not the greatest with fight scenes, if you haven't noticed already. And this chapter is pretty packed with fighting. Anyways, let's get started!

"Talking"

 _"Thoughts"_

* * *

 **The Gospel**

* * *

Laura deployed her Schwarzer Regen and readied her railgun as she aimed for the Gospel. A few seconds later she shot the railgun and hit her mark, "First shot is a hit!"

"Fire!" Scott shouted as the smoke was clearing.

Cecilia and Charlotte fired their Blue Pierce and Vent, as Rin and Scott fired their Ryuhou and Blister.

As soon as the smoke cleared the shots fired hit their mark as well, knocking the Gospel around. The unmanned unit quickly regained it's bearings and dodged the rest of the incoming fire. The Gospel processed more data as the gang was firing at it.

Once it was finished, the Gospel started targeting Cecilia, Charlotte, and Rin with widespread explosive lasers, forcing the girls to dodge and weave as best as they could.

Laura started shooting her railgun again, missing her target as the Gospel was too fast for her, "It's faster than I expected!"

Meanwhile Scott was in the back of the fight, further out in the ocean, staying out of harms way for now, "Phoenix, can you tell me what systems are working?"

"Armour is eighty-five percent, shields are at a hundred percent. Ammo is full on all weapons, and most abilities are working," Phoenix listed.

"What do you mean most? I thought I fixed them all?"

"Yes, but it seems there was an error in the coding," Phoenix explained.

Scott groaned in annoyance as he started shooting the Gospel with Blister, "Well, what ability is offline?"

"Your One-Off ability."

"My One-! Can you try and fix it! I may need it!" Scott asked, more irritated.

"I can try," Phoenix answered.

Scott flew in closer so he could shoot the Gospel, as it targeted Laura. He fired two shots and one hit its mark, causing the Gospel to turn to him and fire.

Scott activated his thrusters and went higher to dodge the barrage of lasers, getting hit by one or two in the process.

Cecilia deployed her BIT's to try and hit the Gospel from multiple directions as Rin materialized her scimitars and charged her Ryuhou. The former was getting no where as the Gospel was too fast and the latter couldn't get a clear shot.

Their target charged at Cecilia shooting its lasers at the others to keep them at bay. The blonde girl tried evading the unmanned unit, but it caught up with her and fired at point blank range, damaging Cecilia's systems.

Charlotte materialized Garm and targeted the Gospel in an attempt to get the unit off Cecilia who was being shot at while trying to escape. Instead of going after her, it evaded the bullets and chased after Rin who threw her Souten Gagetsu at it.

Scott came up at point blank range with his Mustang and Sally, firing at the Gospel who put its arms up to try and deflect the bullets. This stunt acted as a distraction so Houki could come at the Gospel from behind and land a direct hit.

The unit sensed this and evaded the hit at the last second forcing Scott to put up his arms in defense to block Houki's direct attack, losing a portion of his shield energy in the process.

"Sorry," Houki called out after she got off him and continued to chase after the Gospel.

Scott grunted as he looked at his shields, which read seven-hundred and twelve out of eight hundred, "It's alright! Just try again!" He shouted back as he rematerialized Blister.

The Gospel was shooting at Laura as Houki chased the unit, while Laura was doing her best to weave through the salvo of lasers. Back in the distance Scott and Cecilia were firing their rifles while Charlotte and Rin waited for an opening to hit the Gospel.

* * *

The sky was blue, dotted with white clouds slowly floating across it. Waves could be heard washing up the shoreline gently. Ichika was currently standing at the shore with his pant legs rolled up to his shins. He was bare foot, holding his shoes in his hands, wearing his IS uniform.

 _"Is it summer?"_ He questioned himself.

The gentle waves continued to come up shore as they passed over Ichika's feet, and then back out. He felt the hot sand underneath his feet as he stared out into the ocean, _"Where... am I?"_

Far off in the distance he heard faint singing, and felt the urge to locate the source. Ichika walked along the shore as the waves continued.

Time passed and Ichika reached the source and found a small petite girl wearing a white one-piece sundress with a sunhat. She had silvery hair and was staring off into the distance as she sang softly.

The boy didn't feel like calling out to her, and instead found a nearby log to sit down on as he listened to the girl sing. Something about the whole thing felt nostalgic to him as he felt the cool breeze and listened to the calm music the girl sang.

After a while, the silver-haired girl stopped her singing, but continued to look at the sky.

Ichika waited a while before he got up from the log and moved towards her, "What's wrong?" He asked.

"They're calling. You have to go now."

"Huh?" Ichika looked up at where she was looking then back at the girl, except the girl was no longer there. He looked around and only saw the ocean. The girl was gone.

* * *

The Gospel was flying across the ocean dodging and weaving through the firing while it chased Scott. Cecilia was doing her best to hit the Gospel as Rin was chasing the target with her Souten Gagetsu. She activated her Ryuhou and fired multiple shots, all of them missing their mark.

"Did you get it?" Cecilia shouted as she continued firing.

"No! Not yet," Rin answered.

"Phoenix, how is it going with fixing my One-Off ability?" Scott asked as he was being chased by the Gospel.

"I've almost got it fixed, just give me more time," Phoenix replied.

"How are the others doing?" Scott inquired.

"They seem to be fine. Lost shield energy, but fine," Phoenix answered.

"Well, that's good. Can you help coordinate them?" Scott asked as he weaved through the air, dodging the Gospel's fire.

"On it."

* * *

Ichika just stood in the ocean shore as he wondered what the girl meant, until he heard a woman call out to him from behind.

"Ichika, do you desire power?" She asked.

The boy turned around and saw a woman in an IS unit that looked like a white knight, she had a mask covering her eyes only revealing the lower half of her face. In front of her was a giant sword stuck in the ground as she held onto the pommel with one hand.

* * *

 _"If only we could get a clear hit,"_ Scott thought to himself.

The Gospel was still on his tail as the gang was trying hit it. He dismissed Blister and materialized Crescent Moon, and glanced behind him. The Gospel was definitely fast, it was keeping a steady distance as it continued firing at him while dodging any attacks from the girls.

Scott reversed his thrusters and did a backflip over the Gospel as it passed him. While he was in the middle of his flip he threw his chain at the Gospel and managed to hit it, allowing the chain to wrap around it's target effectively restraining it momentarily.

"Now Houki!" Scott shouted.

Houki came in with her katanas in hand as Scott did his best to keep the Gospel from flying off. She was about to hit it when it kicked it's legs up to parry her attack, stopping her from hitting it. Houki quickly recovered as she activated he unfolding armour to unlock at her feet, she then did a frontflip axe kick, slicing off one of the wings of the Gospel, causing it to go limp.

Scott let the Gospel go as he dismissed Crescent Moon, and watched their target fall into the ocean.

* * *

"Ichika, do you desire power?" The woman reiterated.

The boy nodded his head in approval.

"Why do you desire power?" The woman inquired.

Ichika took a moment to think about before answering, "Uh, I want to protect my friends, I mean, my comrades. That's what I want."

"For your comrades?" She questioned.

"Yes, it's like there's so much in this world that you have to fight against. Do you understand what I'm saying. This world is consumed with irrational violence. I want to fight it and aid my comrades in that battle as much as I can. That's what I need the power for; to help them," Ichika explained with a serious tone.

"Yes, I see."

The next moment the woman in the IS unit disappeared and the silver-haired girl reappeared to his right, "It's your fate, you have to go," she said, slightly startling Ichika.

The girl then walked up to him as he watched, "Do you understand?" She asked as she took his hand into hers.

* * *

A green glow came out of the ocean as the Gospel rose above encased in it. It was curled up in the fetal position as it shifted form. The green plasma shell that encased it dispersed and the IS unfolded itself revealing a newer, bigger pair of wings made of plasma.

"Mein Gott, it shifted into secondary form!" Laura shouted in surprise. Everyone else had dumbstruck looks as well.

The Gospel turned to Houki while the gang was still in shock and charged a large plasma ball above it's head and fired it at her, effectively taking her out before anyone could react.

"Houki, no!" Cecilia cried as her friend fell from the sky.

The Gospel then turned to the British girl and charged it's cannon again. It fired at her before she could move as she braced herself for the attack. She heard the sound of the weapon going off but didn't feel anything.

She opened her eyes and saw Scott in front of her taking all the damage.

Wide eyed, she watched him take the hit, "But why?!" She asked.

"I said I'd protect you didn't I?" Scott grimaced as the Gospel finished firing at him.

He glanced at his shield energy and half of it was depleted from the attack.

Scott didn't have much time to react as the Gospel changed it's target to Charlotte who tried flying away, but was caught.

The Gospel quickly flew over to the poor girl and it's wings increased in size as it was about to engulf Charlotte.

She stared at the machine in horror as it's wings closed in on her before Scott appeared beside her out of nowhere and shoved her out of the way.

Charlotte made it out just in time as the Gospel's wings crushed Scott momentarily before they reopened and Scott came into view. His IS was damaged and he was unconscious as he fell from the sky and into the ocean.

"Scott!" She called out as she watched him fall to the ocean.

"Don't worry about him," Phoenix ordered in a serious tone.

"But... He just," Charlotte trailed off in shock.

"He just saved you," Phoenix said, "Now it's time to make sure his sacrifice from the battle does not go to waste."

"Aren't you worried?!" Charlotte asked.

"Yes," Phoenix answered, "But we can't waste our time worrying, I'm doing everything I can to keep him alive right now."

"But how did he reach me in time?" Charlotte questioned.

"He used his teleportation ability. For both you and Cecilia. I have no time to explain things, just believe me for the time being," Phoenix replied, causing Charlotte's eyes to widen.

"Right now, all of you need to find a way to take out the Gospel, otherwise it'll take you all out like it did with Houki and Scott," Phoenix explained.

Charlotte took a moment to regain her composure before continuing, "Alright, what will you have me do?"

"For now, just avoid being hit like Scott or Houki. It's all any of you can do for now, I need to analyze the targets new attacks and movements before we can do anything."

Charlotte grimaced, "Understood."

"I've already told the others the same thing, just hold out a little longer," Phoenix stated as Charlotte surveyed the battle.

The Gospel was currently trying to take out the others as they were all dodging its shots.

* * *

Back in the control room, Chifuyu and Miss Yamada were watching the entire thing unfold, unable to do anything but watch.

"Why haven't our transmissions gone back to normal yet?!" Miss Yamada asked in frustration.

"Because the kids probably shut it off themselves," Chifuyu answered.

The door to the control room slammed open, immediately after Chifuyu spoke, with three girls in the doorway, "Miss Orimura!"

"Just stay out! We're busy in here!" Chifuyu ordered in a stern tone, clearly not in a good mood.

"We understand that Ma'am, but..."

"Orimura is gone!"

Chifuyu's eyes widened in surprise and worry, "What?!"

* * *

Scott was underwater, slowly sinking to the bottom as his systems gave off warning alerts. His thrusters were stuttering underwater from the damage of the attack and the increasing water pressure as he continued to sink. His headpiece was intact and kept the water from entering his lungs, but that protection wouldn't last forever.

In Scott's mind he was dreaming.

 _A seven year old Scott was running down the hallway of a building and opened up one of the doors at the end of it and ran in._

 _"Mom, mom! Are you done yet?!" He asked in an excited and energetic voice._

 _His mother was wearing a lab coat and safety glasses. Her hair was long, straight black hair and she was fairly thin in size. Her eyes were chestnut brown like her son's and her face had the same glean too._

 _"Not yet sweetie, I'm almost done my work, then we can go home," she answered, patting the boys head gently._

 _"Awww, when are you gonna be done?" He asked._

 _"Very soon," his mother answered as she got back to work at her computer desk._

 _Scott watched the screen, but only saw a bunch of numbers scrolling up across it._

 _Uninterested in what his mother was doing, he turned around and opened up a door that led to a bigger room. One which had many wires and machines all over, scattered with machine parts and the sort._

 _It was dark and he couldn't see very well but while he walked around the dimly lit room, he found a big silvery machine that looked like a robot and had a bunch of wires hooked up to it._

 _It had arms and legs, and a portion of a body, but no head. And it was very large, nearly three times his size._

 _He was wide eyed as he looked at the machine. It looked cool to him and was about to touch it when he heard someone call out to him._

 _"Are you sure you're allowed to be in here kid?" A woman asked._

 _Scott turned around and saw a tall woman with black hair in front of him. She had a stern look, but didn't seem to be threatening in any way. Instead she gave off a somewhat friendly vibe. He'd seen and chatted with her a few times before._

 _"Uh, no," Scott answered meekly._

 _"Does your mother know you're in here?" She inquired._

 _Scott looked down at his feet as he twiddled his thumbs, "No," he answered._

 _She smiled at him, seeing his nervous nature and decided to give him a break, "It's cool isn't it?"_

 _Scott quickly nodded his head as he looked up at her._

 _"Maybe you'll get one yourself one day," the woman said._

 _"I hope you're not putting any ideas in his head," Hugh said as he stood in the doorway Scott came from._

 _The woman grinned at Hugh, "No, just chatting with him like usual."_

 _Hugh shook his head, not in a disapproving way but just shook it as he smiled, "Come on Scott, your mother's done her work, we can go home now."_

 _"You're done with it?" The woman asked._

 _"Yeah, it was just a couple adjustments we had to do to the coding. It should work fine now," Hugh answered._

 _Scott looked back at the machine as he walked to the exit, watching the woman unhook the wires from the machine he found._

"One-Off ability is online. Activating now, then switching to Second Shift for precautionary action," Phoenix stated within Scott's headpiece, as Scott continued sinking, still unconscious.

On the screen his shield energy, which was at thirty, quickly began to rise. Once it reached full capacity, Scott's IS changed form as it rebuilt itself.

His wings grew in size and his IS was engulfed in flames. The metal feathers all fluttered and shifted positions so they were a few centimeters apart from each other as the wings outstretched. Once the wings adjusted, yellow plasma started emitting from the metal feathers and connected them all, filling in the gaps. The feathers also opened up slightly as they became miniature thrusters. His arm pieces grew blades along the back forearms that extended past his IS' hands, made of yellow plasma. His IS also started to rebuild itself, repairing any damaged equipment.

Scott slowly opened his eyes to see alerts on his screen as he blinked multiple times.

"Where am I?" Scott asked, dazed.

"Currently sinking in the ocean. I've fixed many things while you were out, and took some precautionary steps," Phoenix explained.

"Precautionary steps?"

"Yes, you're in Second shift right now, as your mindset was in the right condition for me to activate it. I also activated your One-Off ability since you had almost no shield energy left," Phoenix replied. "If I were you, I'd get out of the water now. I don't want to be stuck down here with a dead pilot."

Scott cleared his head and noticed that his IS _was_ in second shift, he saw the plasma blades and the flames which seemed to burning underwater. He activated his thrusters and started 'flying' back to the top.

"I didn't know you could activate my secondary form for me," Scott commented.

"I didn't either. I was desperate to try and save you from drowning, so I searched through all the coding after I finished fixing the One-Off ability. I've been given access to many things now, though I still can't pilot the machine myself."

"How did you wake me?" Scott asked.

"I didn't. That was a stroke of luck," Phoenix replied.

"Oh."

* * *

Back at the control room on the big screen, Chifuyu and Miss Yamada could see Ichika in the battle fighting the Gospel in Byakushiki's second form with the help of Houki in her Akatsubaki after she recovered from her previous encounter.

"That's the Byakushiki's second form, Setsura," Miss Yamada said in surprise.

Ichika was clashing around the sky with the Gospel, trying to land a hit. The Gospel managed to put some distance between it and Ichika, then fired a barrage of lasers at the boy.

"Setsura, change to shield mode!" Ichika commanded as he put his arm up to defend him. The IS listened and a shield made of Ichika's Reiraku Byakuya appeared to deflect all the incoming lasers.

Houki was astonished by the Byakushiki's abilities as she watched Ichika fight, "That's a Reiraku Byakuya shield!"

Moments later she was hit by a salvo of lasers.

"Houki!" Ichika called out in worry.

Houki quickly evaded the next salvo, "I'm okay, don't worry about me."

"Houki, you'll need to help distract the Gospel with Scott, so Ichika may land a hit. The others will help support you two," Phoenix ordered through her earpiece.

"Scott, where is he?" Houki asked as she continued weaving through the Gospels attacks.

"Currently swimming to the surface of the ocean," Phoenix answered.

"The ocean?! What happened!"

"He protected the girls at the cost of his own shield energy and fell in. He was also rendered unconscious in the process," Phoenix explained. "I can explain it in detail later if you want, just know he'll reach the surface soon. Once he does you two will need to work together."

"Got it."

* * *

Scott finally reached the surface and flew towards Houki as he scanned the battlefield noticing the other girls were still alright as they met up with Ichika.

"Houki, you know what to do right?" Scott asked as he appeared beside her.

She looked at him and noticed his IS changed form, "Is that your secondary form?"

"Yes, it's why I named the IS Phoenix," Scott answered as he examined his secondary form in person for the first time.

"So you know the plan?" Scott asked again.

She quit staring at his new form and nodded her head.

"Good. Now let's go get some payback," Scott grinned as he materialized Blister and started firing at the Gospel.

"Scott, while you were unconscious I did some analyzing and noticed the Gospel can only focus on one target in second shift. This may be due to the increase in firepower, it must take more time to charge and fire than before causing the Gospel to focus more energy on one target. It also has increased mobility, which shouldn't be a problem for us now that we're in second shift too," Phoenix explained through his headpiece.

"Okay, so our earlier plans should be more effective is what you're saying."

"Precisely."

"Could you relay this information to the rest," Scott ordered.

"Already on it," Phoenix replied.

Scott flew towards Orimura, "Ichika, we need to hit it with everything we got before it manages to take us out again."

"But how? I can't land a hit!"

"That's where the rest of us come in. We will make an opening for you to hit it, just make sure you don't miss," Scott said.

"Alright."

Scott diverted from Ichika and refocused his attention back to the Gospel.

He materialized Mustang and Sally then went for their target in his new form.

* * *

Houki stared at the battle waiting for an opening to attack the Gospel.

She watched as the Gospel was constantly switching target, trying to eliminate it's assailants.

Rin was evading shots as the unmanned unit attacked her, until Cecilia deployed her BIT's and targeted it. The Gospel started dodging the lasers and attempted to attack Cecilia before it was being shot at by Charlotte.

Houki watched it turn to Charlotte, then Scott appeared behind the Gospel and sliced at it with his blades. The Gospel was about to engulf him a second time when he teleported out of it.

Ichika then came in and started clashing with their target. He was flying all over the ocean, both attacking and evading.

Scott came in with his Crescent moon and tried restraining it. Both Ichika and Scott coordinated their attacks to try and weaken the Gospel as Houki continued watching.

 _"I want to fight alongside you. I want to have your back,"_ Houki thought to herself. After saying those words with true resolve Houki's Akatsubaki started glowing and her energy levels recharged as pop-ups came on screen explaining the ability.

"What's going on?!..." Houki asked in surprise while looking at the glowing IS.

"This is the Kenran Buto. So this has to be the Akatsubaki's fourth gen special ability," she said to herself after reading the description.

"Houki tied her hair up and got ready, "Right... Let's do this Akatsubaki."

Back at the fight Ichika and Scott were still in a deadlock with the Gospel. The former was running low on shield energy while the latter couldn't land a hit with his chain.

Ichika engaged with the Gospel and tried holding it in a deadlock attack. He swung the Yukihira Nigata down on the Gospel who used it's wings to keep the sword at bay.

The two were pushing each other back and forth, but not really doing any damage to the other. Scott took the chance to try and restrain the Gospel as he threw the chain at the Gospel while it was distracted.

The unit was busy fending off Ichika as the chain came at it when it noticed the chain at the last second but was too late to avoid the attack.

"Ichika, I'm going to try something. I need you to be ready when I do!" Scott explained as he tried holding the Gospel in place with the chain. The thing was flying around dragging Scott with it.

"Ready for what? What are you going to do?!" Ichika inquired while watching the Gospel drag his friend.

"Something dangerous!" Scott shouted in frustration as he reversed his thrusters and pulled the chain, effectively stunning the Gospel momentarily. He then turned around and teleported a small distance away then turned back and teleported fifty meters to Ichika's left.

The process was essentially a U-turn and the chain's length followed the sudden change in course, swinging the Gospel around and back at Ichika.

Ichika just stood still for a second before he realized what was happening, "You- No, no no no!" He put his hands up in defense, instinctively.

"God damn it! Just hit it!" Scott shouted.

Ichika still had his hands up when he was shoved out of the way by Houki, who slashed at the Gospel. She then kicked it away and flew to Ichika.

The Gospel managed to slip out of the chains and chased after Scott.

"Ichika, take my hand," Houki said as she held her hand out to him.

He complied and the two started floating upwards as both were engulfed in light.

"Woah, what the hell! My energy has been recharged!" Ichika exclaimed in surprise.

"That's right. Now go and finish it off," Houki said with a determined, yet content tone.

"A little help would be nice!" Scott shouted to the group as he was busy fending off the Gospel.

"Right! Let's go!" Ichika ordered as they all flew towards Scott and their target.

Scott saw the group coming and teleported out, appearing beside Houki, "It's your turn."

Houki nodded and charged at the Gospel who was headed their way.

The two clashed for awhile as they flew all over the ocean near the island, neither of them landing a fatal blow.

The Gospel managed to put some distance between Houki and itself, and fired a salvo of lasers at the latter. She dodged them all and clashed with it a little longer before she managed to restrain it with one of her attacks, holding it between her blades, "Ichika, now!"

Ichika was flying towards the two with his Reiraku Byakuya activated and was about to hit the Gospel when it shot at Houki and then kicked itself away from her. Ichika had to deactivate his ability and refocus his attention as he started clashing with the Gospel.

The Gospel flew away as Ichika watched it's movements to see what it would do next when it fired another salvo at him. He dodged them all as it continued firing at him.

"Laura!" Ichika called out.

"Ja voll!" Laura answered as she started firing her railgun. The Gospel dodged the shots and turned it's attention to her. Ichika took this chance to land a hit but the Gospel evaded the attack and flew closer to Laura before unleashing a barrage at her. Laura put her arms up in defense since she had no time to evade them.

Scott was nearby, so he teleported to her and took hold of Laura and flew away as fast as he could getting hit by a few of the laser as he shielded Laura and him with his wings.

While the Gospel was paying attention to Scott and Laura, Cecilia started shooting it with her BIT's from behind, "I'm right over here you monster!" She shouted as it looked at her.

It was then hit with Rin's Thermal Diffusion Impact Cannons, dodging the first shot but had to put it's arms up to deflect the second.

"Ichika, hit it one more time!"

The Gospel flew up higher and aimed at Rin, firing a large salvo of laser at the girl.

"Rin!" Charlotte cried out as she tackled the girl to move her out of the line of fire. She currently had her shield up to deflect the lasers being fired at the two, "Please hurry Ichika, we can't hold on!" Charlotte called out.

The entire ocean near the shore was covered in smoke from the Gospel's attack and the only one still standing was Scott who managed to evade the attack by teleporting past it.

He was thirty meters in front of the Gospel as they both stared at each other. Scott had his Crescent Moon in hand and the Gospel's Lascannons were ready.

"Scott, Ichika is going to hit it from behind I suggest you move out of the way," Phoenix advised as a pop screen appeared on the HUD, it showed a small silhouette in front of the sun slowly getting bigger and bigger.

 _"I'm fine,"_ Scott replied.

"But you could be caught in the crossfire," Phoenix insisted.

 _"I won't."_

Scott continued to stare at the Gospel, who surprisingly didn't make a move. Instead it seemed to be watching him, to see if he would try anything.

According to the machine's own data it collected he seemed to be dangerous.

In the distance behind the Gospel, Ichika's silhouette became visible to the naked eye as he had Reiraku activated, "You won't get away this time!" He shouted.

This caused the Gospel to turn around and look at the oncoming target. Scott took this chance and restrained the machine with his chains before it could evade the hit.

Ichika made contact with the Gospel and there was a loud bang like the sound of thunder from the hit and all three went flying towards the island.

"Jesus christ! I'm still here you know!" Scott shouted in slight annoyance as he was turned into a ragdoll from the impact for a few seconds.

Scott managed to regain his bearings before they hit the beach where Ichika was putting all his might into breaking the Gospel's armour. Ichika had one foot on the Gospel's chest and both hands on the sword.

Scott had one foot on the Gospel's right arm and still had the chain around the Gospel except one of it's arms that managed to slip out while Scott was being thrown around from Ichika's hit.

The Gospel lifted it's arm up from holding back the Yukihira and brought it to Ichika's neck and started squeezing.

Sparks were flying everywhere and Ichika was losing shield energy from the absolute defense protecting his throat and the huge sparks caused from the sword digging into the Gospel's armour. Scott was already low on shield energy but he wasn't taking any damage due to his AIC that engulfed him.

"Grrrrr! Arrrrrgh!.." Ichika was using all his strength to pierce the Gospel's armour while Scott kept a firm hold on his chains and restrained the Gospel's body and right arm.

"Just die already!" Scott shouted.

A few seconds later, the Yukihira Nigata finally pierced the Gospel's armour and it's systems shut off. The glowing plasma wings dissipated and the body went limp as Ichika and Scott got off of it.

Scott looked towards his friend as he dismissed his helmet, "Next time, warn me when you're going use that much force so I don't get thrown around like I did."

Ichika laughed, "I could say the same thing."

"What?! I did warn you, and you just stood there with your hands up!"

"I had no energy left to use my Reiraku. If I had known you were going to throw the Gospel at me I would've told you not to," Ichika explained.

"You could've said something, I would've redirected the Gospel," Scott said as he punched Ichika in the chest.

Houki came over and hovered a few meters above the ground near the two boys, "Is it over?" She asked.

"Yeah, it is," Ichika answered.

"Of course, that's to be expected when we work together," Scott joked as he pulled Ichika into a friendly hug with one arm that the latter tried getting out of.

"Hey quit it! I don't need a hug!"

Scott backed off with his hands up, "Fine, I'll just go find someone else who wants a hug," he feigned a disappointed and sad tone.

The rest of the girls came over and looked at the scene, seeing that the Gospel was finally defeated.

Scott walked over to them, still in his IS, "Do one of you girls want a hug, Ichika rejected me?" He asked in a joking matter with his arms wide open.

They all looked at him and then turned back to Ichika.

"Ouch. No one wants a victory hug?" Scott asked as he put his arms down.

"Houki?" Scott asked with his arms open.

"I'll pass," she answered while giggling a little from his childish behaviour.

"Come on! Next time I'm not saving anyone's ass," Scott said as he rematerialized his helmet.

* * *

It was midday now and the gang was currently standing in front of the resort hotel with their IS suits still on.

They were standing at attention with Chifuyu and Miss Yamada in front of them. The former had her hands behind her back and a stern look on her face while the latter was holding a notepad.

"Mission accomplished. Well, that's what I'd like to say, but the fact is you committed a very grave offense here," Chifuyu stated.

"Yes Ma'am," all the students said in unison.

"When you get home I want you all to write an essay on what you did wrong. And in the meantime, I have some especially grueling training for you as punishment."

This caught Miss Yamada's attention as she looked at Chifuyu in surprise, "Uh, excuse me Miss Orimura, but shouldn't we call it a day now? I'm sure everyone is very tired."

Chifuyu took a moment to think before she turned back to the gang and a small blush of embarrassment appeared on her face, "But in spite of all the screw ups; you did a good job..." Her statement shocked everyone, considering how harsh she normally is. "And I'm glad you all made it back alright. So, um... Take the rest of the day off."

* * *

Back in the resort hotel's dining hall Charlotte, Rin, Cecilia and Laura were all having dinner at one table, or at least trying to.

They were surrounded by some of the other girls who were questioning them about the Gospel mission.

"So um, like hey. Just what happened out there? What really made the Gospel run wild?" One of the girls asked.

"Is it true there was no one inside it?!" Another one asked.

"Weren't you afraid when you were fighting? Wasn't it scary?" Nohohon inquired excitedly.

Tokatsuki leaned in between Cecilia and Charlotte as she looked at them, "Come on you guys, tell us. The teachers aren't saying anything to anybody."

"So sorry. The officials labelled the whole thing top secret," Charlotte answered as she held her tea in both hands.

"No kidding, even we haven't been told all the particulars yet," Rin chimed in.

"I understand. You are curious about the situation, but if you knew more they would place restrictions on you as well, okay," Laura explained to the girls around them.

"Um, no. I don't think I would like that," the first girl said.

"I wouldn't want to be spied on or anything," the second girl replied.

Cecilia looked around and noticed something, "Hold on. Just where have Ichika and Houki wandered off to?"

The other girls noticed their absence as well after Cecilia pointed it out.

* * *

It was dark out as the moon shone down on the resort hotel while Scott was walking back to his room. When he turned the corner he saw Houki standing outside Ichika's, which was the room next Scott's.

He walked up to her as he put the towel around his neck, "Ichika not there?"

Houki was in her own little world until Scott startled her, "Oh, what? N-no I-I w-wasn't..." She dropped her head and quit stuttering.

Scott chuckled at her behaviour, "It's no big deal really. Nothing to be ashamed of."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Houki replied, head still down.

"Oh," Scott raised an eyebrow. "Then I guess I won't tell you that I saw a certain someone down by the ocean."

This perked Houki's ears and she stood there for a few more seconds before she turned around and quickly walked away, earning another laugh from Scott as he watched.

Scott then opened his door and went in, "Now it's time to find Miss Orimura."

* * *

Tabane was sitting on the edge of a cliff near the ocean as she analyzed the data collected from the Gospel battle, "Ah, the Byakushiki sure is surprising isn't it? Phoenix is also interesting. Both have regenerative abilities, just like-"

"Just like the Shirokishi. Core number zero-zero-one, which you poured your blood sweat and tears into. The original IS unit," Chifuyu cut in. The tall woman was leaning against a dead tree as she glanced towards Tabane who still had her back to Chifuyu.

"What's up Chi-chan?" Tabane asked as she dismissed the holos.

"I'd like to speak hypothetically. Let's say that a certain genius could have an IS planted at a certain location on the day of a certain boys highschool entrance exam. The genius makes sure that's the only time this IS ever moves. That way it would look like a boy, who can't operate an IS, actually made it move."

Tabane turned back to the sky and looked up at the moon, "Hmm, then that would've been the only time it moved wouldn't it," she then laughed a bit in embarrassment, "But to be honest with you, even I don't know why exactly the Byakushiki moves. It's really a mystery."

"Alright then, let's talk about something different. A certain genius decides she wants to debut her precious younger sister with a big bang. So for her sister she prepares a personal unit. And then when an incident occurs, she's drops her sister's new state-of-the-art unit into the mix. Quite a debut for little sis, don't you think?" Chifuyu said.

"That really would be a super genius, huh?"

"Mhm, a true super genius. A super genius who's already managed to hack into the military computers of at least twenty countries."

"Say, Chi-chan? Does the world seem like a fun place to you?" Tabane inquired.

"Fun? More or less I suppose," Chifuyu answered.

"I agree."

Moments went by and it was quiet, which caught Chifuyu's attention and she noticed Tabane disappeared without her noticing.

The next moment Scott spoke up, "Ahem. So my record of seven countries I've managed to hack means nothing?"

Chifuyu looked around the other side of the tree and found Scott leaning on it.

"You're awfully quiet now," Scott commented.

"How come you're not afraid of me," Chifuyu asked.

"I don't know. You don't scare me. End of story," Scott answered nonchalant.

He walked over to Chifuyu and stood beside her, "I came here to see you, but you seem to be alright."

"Why would you worry?"

"Am I not allowed to care for those around me, even if they're my teacher?" Scott inquired. "Nevermind that, the second reason I'm here is because of that," Scott pointed down at the ocean shore.

Chifuyu followed his gaze and saw Ichika and Houki sitting together. They seemed to be chatting with one another, until Houki got in Ichika's face.

"Why are you doing this?" Chifuyu asked.

Scott looked to the other side of him then back at Chifuyu with a confused look as he pointed a finger at himself, "Who me? I didn't do this," he tried keeping a straight face, "Believe me."

A small smile appeared on Chifuyu's face as she looked down at the two teens near the shore. Houki and Ichika both leaned closer to each other until Ichika hit something with his head.

"I think you might want to do something about that," Chifuyu stated as Scott looked back at the scene below. The other four girls, Charlotte, Rin, Cecilia and Laura were all in their IS' with weapons ready as they threatened Ichika.

"Oh come on!" Scott said before he disappeared and reappeared in front of his friends, defending Houki and Ichika.

"That kid never follows the rules does he?" Chifuyu said herself as she watched Scott fail at calming the other girls down. They were all shooting at him as he deployed his IS and used the wing to shield the two would-be love birds as he picked them up and flew away.

Chifuyu's phone rang and she picked it up as she watched Scott, Ichika and Houki be chased by the girls.

"Chifuyu Orimura speaking."

"Oh thank god, I've been trying to reach you for a while now," the other person said in a relieved tone.

"May I ask who this is?" Chifuyu inquired.

"Yes, it's Susan Smith, Scott's agent."

"Oh, what's the matter? You seem worried."

"It's Hugh, he's been kidnapped," Susan replied.

Chifuyu's face hardened, "By who?!"

"That's the thing, we don't know. We can't figure out who took him," Susan explained. "We're worried that whoever took Hugh might try to take Scott as well."

"I see. So keep an eye out for anyone who might seem suspicious," Chifuyu said to herself.

"Correct. We are currently trying to track Hugh via satellite but have had no luck. We'll keep you updated and notify you if we find his location."

"Alright, I'll keep a close eye on Scott for the time being. Let me be the one to inform him of the situation," Chifuyu suggested.

"I understand. I'll do everything I can on my side. Be careful though, these guys know how to move around undetected."

Chifuyu then hung up and looked at where Scott used to be down at the shore and grit her teeth, _"Poor kid. How am I going to break the news to him?"_

* * *

And scene!

That, for me, was tough to write. But I did enjoy it. Hope you all enjoyed reading it!

 **Stratos263 -** Thanks. Charlotte is my favourite out of them all.

 **Guest -** Who knows? You'll have to read to find out. By the looks of it she's going after both.

 **TalonAlpha3, PearlTapioca -** I don't know, Scott's harem doesn't really take off until the beginning of season 2. The emotion is what I was trying to get at and the title "Unease" should've helped explain. And about SAM from Mass Effect, yeah... I can see how you see Phoenix as SAM, but he originates from JARVIS. Then Scott I guess is a younger, less stuck up Tony Stark.

 **Kerlonggsj Evert Orlejov -** As I said above, his harem doesn't really start until season 2. David is really fun to work with, considering how sadistic he is and such, and I also love Phoenix; he adds a nice element to the story.

Don't really have much to say other than we're reaching the, I hope, comedic part of the story. Of course the dark, painful scenes will continue. I think it will be interesting to write both dark scenes and comedic scenes together.

Fav, follow, review if you wish. Peace!


	8. The Sextet Yearns to loved

Here's the Season 1 OVA for you all.

"Talking"

 _"Thoughts"_

* * *

 **The Sextet Yearns to be loved**

* * *

It was a bright, beautiful, hot summer day as Charlotte stood in front of a big house in her casual attire with a purse.

She was wearing a red and black checkered skirt with a black sleeveless blouse, and was holding a big white purse.

The house she was currently standing in front of was the house of Ichika Orimura.

"It's okay. It's okay, because he told me that he would be home today," Charlotte told herself as she got ready to ring the doorbell.

She started reaching for the buzzer, her finger ever so slowly moving closer as her heart raced faster and faster.

Charlotte was about to ring the doorbell when she heard Ichika call out from behind her.

"Hey, Charl?"

Charlotte was startled and turned around to see Ichika standing a few feet behind her with a bag in his hand. "Uhh! Aaaah!"

"Ichika, um, it is nice day n'cest pas?" Charlotte stuttered.

"Yeah?..."

"No, I mean, uh, I am Charlotte Dunois from the IS Academy. Is Orimura at home?" She asked while fidgeting.

Ichika was confused as to where Charlotte was going with this, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Uhhh! Just..."

"Just what?" Ichika inquired.

Charlotte was super embarrassed and couldn't control her nervousness as she looked up at Ichika, "Just stopped by," she answered as she laughed nervously.

"Uhuh?..." Ichika was still confused with Charlotte's behaviour.

 _"I am an idiot! An idiot! Why am I sounding like his girlfriend or something?!"_ Charlotte thought to herself.

"Okay, come on inside then," Ichika finally suggested.

This surprised Charlotte as sparkles appeared in her eyes, "I can come in?!"

"Well sure, you came to hang out didn't you? Or is there somewhere else you need to be?"

Charlotte gasped, "No! Not at all! Absolutely not! Not even a little tiny bit!" Charlotte replied with utmost seriousness as she flailed around.

Ichika laughed a little as he passed by her and opened up the gate to his yard, "Oh man, you're being weird."

The blonde french stood there for a while before a blush appeared on her face, _"He said that I'm being weird."_

"Ahem. I'm not really sure if I'd count that as a positive compliment," Scott said as he looked at the french girl.

Charlotte was snapped out of her daze and looked towards Scott, who happened to be behind Ichika the entire time.

He was wearing his usual black graphic t-shirt that had the word "Royalty" over the chest with an intricate design. He also wore his orange hoodie with the Phoenix pendant. Blue American Eagle jeans and red high tops. One thing that did stand out was the medical arm sling that his left arm was in. This was from the summer trip the school took. Scott's left arm was fractured by the girls when he was running away from them with Ichika and Houki in hand.

"What are you doing here?" Charlotte questioned.

"Ichika invited me over," Scott replied as he walked passed the girl, earning a slight growl as Charlotte was upset Ichika personally invited Scott over and not her.

* * *

Inside the house was a western style home. In the living room there was a big coffee table in front of an L-shaped sofa, with a television mounted on the wall opposite of it. In the kitchen was an island and just about the average appliances one would find.

Ichika was currently in the kitchen making drinks for his two guests while Charlotte was looking around the place with wonder and curiosity. Scott was sitting on the sofa with Charlotte and was leaning back with his eyes closed.

"It's so hot out," Scott complained.

Charlotte got up from the sofa and looked over at her friend, "Hey Ichika, are you the one doing the household chores here?"

"Yeah. Chifuyu's way too busy, and there was a long time she wasn't here," Ichika explained.

"Oh, I understand of course," Charlotte replied as she sat back down.

Scott peeked an eye open and saw Charlotte was fantasizing about something, as she had her hand to her mouth and a huge blush was clearly on her face.

Ichika walked over to them and placed two glasses on the coffee table, "Here, it's Barley Tea. I made it myself this morning, so the flavour might still be pretty light."

"Oh, alright. Thank you," Charlotte replied as she took her cup.

"Thanks," Scott said as he took a sip of his.

Moments later the doorbell was heard and Ichika walked over to the door monitor and saw Cecilia standing in front of the camera.

"What the- Cecilia?!"

"Hello there! How are you doing today, my dear Ichika? I happened to be passing by this area, so I thought I'd stop by to check on you," Cecilia explained.

"You were passing through? In this area?" Ichika said questioningly.

This caused Cecilia to stutter before regaining her composure, "Uhh, yes! I just stopped by that fancy cake shop, see!" She justified as she held a box of cakes in her hand.

Ichika let Cecilia in, who had a smile on their face until she saw that Ichika wasn't alone. With him was Scott and Charlotte, the latter had a dark cloud of depression surrounding her.

Cecilia handed the box of cakes to Ichika and went to sit down at the sofa with Scott and Charlotte.

Ichika opened the box up and found four pieces of fancy looking cakes in it, "Hey look at this, they're all different."

"Oh, that's right. They certainly are."

Charlotte sighed in defeat, _"If only it were just me and Ichika."_

Cecilia was busy smiling away as Ichika went to get plates for the group, but under that mask she wasn't too happy, _"What is Charlotte doing here? Was that cross-dressing frog trying to get ahead of me!"_

Ichika handed out the four different pieces of cake and dug into his, "Mmm! This one's great!" He then had an idea pop into his head as he lifted his plate and offered it to the rest, "Hey, why don't we swap a little piece from each of the cakes?"

"Oh yes, that sounds like a jolly good idea," Cecilia replied.

"Do you mean we should feed each other?" Charlotte asked boldly.

"Sure, that sounds great," Ichika replied carelessly causing Scott to turn his head to him and then sigh. "Oh, but you wouldn't want a bite from a piece a guy has already eaten. Just you three should do it?"

This caused the girls excited demeanor to falter.

"What? I didn't say I wanted to part take in the cake sharing. I like mine," Scott blurted out.

Immediately after Scott said that the two girls burst out in a fit as they tried explaining that they would like to have some of Ichika's cake. In the end the two came to a truce since they both just wanted to be fed by the blue haired boy.

"Well if you're sure. I guess it'll be okay," Ichika said as he looked at his piece and then the two blondes in front of him.

"Right, let's begin with your cake."

"Oui, I want you to feed us," Charlotte stated as both girls leaned forward.

Ichika cut a piece of his cake and used his fork to pick it up, "Okay, Cecilia first."

The British girl had her eyes closed and mouth open while Ichika fed her the piece of cake, which sent her to cloud nine as she ate it.

"So, it's good huh?"

"Yes it is, heavenly," Cecilia replied happily.

"Ichika, I am next right?" Charlotte asked with utmost seriousness.

"Oh, yes," Ichika replied as he got another piece ready. "Say ahh."

Charlotte ate the cake, and was also sent to cloud nine.

"You like it?" Ichika asked.

"Ahh... Yes, I like it very much," Charlotte answered.

"Okay, now I should get a bite from each of yours," Ichika said as he looked between the two cakes.

"Hold it right there! It's our turn to feed you this time! That's how this whole thing is suppose to work!" Cecilia insisted, stopping Ichika from taking a piece by himself.

"Cecilia is correct. That is how it suppose to go!" Charlotte chimed in.

"Actually if you think about it, there's no reason why I couldn't just eat the cake using my own fork," Ichika explained, earning a sigh from Scott.

"No way, you can't do that!" Both girls shouted in unison.

"Now just relax, okay," Cecilia said.

Both girls cut a piece of their cake with their respective forks and then held it up with a hand under it to keep any crumbs from falling on the floor, "Now say ahh," they said in unison.

Ichika was slightly confused and anxious as held his hands up in defense while he had his mouth open, "Ahh," he said.

Both girls put their pieces into his mouth and he chewed them. Normally he'd be fine, but the mixture of the two different cakes tasted weird.

Ichika feigned a smile, "It's good."

"Alright, it's my turn!" Scott joked as he opened his mouth in anticipation and closed his eyes.

Moments went by before he opened one of his eyes and saw the two girls looking at him, "What I can't have some?"

"I thought you said you weren't going to share," Cecilia questioned.

"I changed my mind. I can share some," Scott answered as he cut a piece and held it up. Both girl just looked at him questioningly.

Scott sighed, "Alright fine. I'll just have some of Ichika's if he doesn't mind."

"No, go ahead," Ichika replied as he held his plate out so Scott could take a piece.

"Hod it!" Cecilia shouted. "We all agreed that we would feed each other a piece! You're clearly breaking that rule."

Scott nearly choked after hearing her comment, "You want us to feed each other?!" He inquired as the two boys had worried looks while facing each other.

Cecilia had an evil grin on her face as she nodded her head, "Of course, it's only fair."

It took Charlotte a while before she eventually agreed with the British girl.

"Can't I just take my own piece and eat it myself?" Scott asked.

"No, we had to feed each other, so you should too," Cecilia answered.

"You girls didn't feed each other! I was watching!" Scott countered.

Cecilia was having a hard time coming up with an excuse, "No, but we will. Right after you two do," Charlotte chimed in.

Scott grit his teeth, "Fine." He looked over to Ichika, who was sweating in embarrassment.

"Are you really going through with this?" He asked.

"Well, if I want to try your cake I have to," Scott replied in an uncomfortable voice. "Just hurry up and get this over with."

Scott opened his mouth and waited for Ichika to feed him, while the latter shakily held the fork in his hand and brought it to Scott's mouth.

While this was happening, Scott was glaring at Cecilia who still had an evil grin and was enjoying herself. His glare said, "If you speak of this to anyone, I'll kill you."

Ichika had his eyes closed and blindly fed his friend, who quickly ate the cake.

"Mmm, not bad. I like it," Scott commented.

"Now it's your turn to feed Ichika," Charlotte said, earning a glare from Scott, who reluctantly cut a piece of his cake and held it out for Ichika.

"I'm definitely going to be saving this memory," Phoenix commented.

 _"Don't you dare!"_ Scott said.

Ichika closed his eyes, mainly because he didn't want to watch and opened his mouth while Scott was about to feed him.

Just as Scott was about to feed Ichika the doorbell rang, saving both boys from anymore torture as a collected sigh of disappointment was heard from the girls.

Moments later three more girls were standing in Ichika's doorway, namely Houki, Laura, and Rin who were all glaring at Charlotte and Cecilia.

Laura was wearing a black sundress, while Rin wore red leggings with black short shorts and a black shirt with a burgandy hoodie. Houki was wearing a white sleeveless blouse with a blue skirt and black knee socks.

"Would you like to tell me what you two are doing here?" Rin asked coldly.

"It rather seems all of us had the same thing in mind today," Cecilia commented as Ichika was scratching his head, wondering why they were all here.

Meanwhile Scott was shaking his head, and Charlotte slumped forward in defeat as she had hoped to be all alone with Ichika, but never was since the beginning.

Moments later in the living room, "I don't mind you stopping by, but it would've been nice if at least one of you told me you were coming," Ichika said to all the girls.

"You can say that again," Scott commented as he leaned against the large sofa on Laura's side. (A/N: poor guy has a broken arm and the girls kicked him off the couch.)

"And just how would I have done that? I didn't know I wasn't doing anything til now," Houki lied.

"Yeah, what gives? Are you saying that showing up without notice is a problem? Could that be because you have something to hide?" Rin accused.

"I thought it would be an amusing little surprise if I stopped by to see you unannounced... So Ichika, are you amused?" Laura explained. Her straight forward explanation caused all the girls to glare at her, since they were all envious of her confidence to speak the truth at moments like these.

"So what do you think we should do now? It's pretty hot outside, so should we do something inside the house?" Ichika asked.

All the girls agreed with him in one way or another.

"Let's see... Something we can do with this many people," Ichika thought aloud.

* * *

A board game was set up on the coffee table and everyone was playing with coloured clay in their hands.

"Oh yes, of course I know this party game. It is a German one after all," Laura commented as she was reading the rule book.

"So we make things using coloured clay and other people guess what they're suppose be. Is that right?" Rin asked.

Moments later after the game was finished being set up and everyone learned the rules, "First, it's Laura's turn to answer questions," Houki stated as the other looked at the platinum girl.

"And I am ready!" Laura replied as she placed a purple blob of clay that looked like a cone, earning confused looks from the rest of the group.

"Uh, is that sitting on the ground?" Houki asked.

"Mhm," Laura replied with her arms crossed and eyes closed.

"Is it bigger than the human?"

"It is."

"Did the human make it?"

"Nein... No more questions, now you must answer," Laura stated.

Houki just sat there with a look of deep thought, "Hmm..." Her face lit up as she stood and pointed at the piece of clay, "Aha! An oil well!"

Everyone, save Laura, had a dark aura around them as they all looked at Houki with confusion, "Oil well?" They all said in unison.

"Incorrect... I guess this one was a little difficult. That is a mountain," Laura stated confidently.

It was Ichika's turn to speak up as he leaned forward and addressed Laura, "Okay, I hate to be picky, but I don't think mountains are really quite as pointy as that."

"That is not always true. Mountains like Everest look this way," Laura countered.

"Then your answer should've been Mt. Everest, otherwise it's too hard."

"You sure do whine a lot. It's hard to believe you're really my wife," Laura flat out commented.

"And I told you I'm not your wife!" Ichika shouted in frustration.

The next moment, the door opened and Chifuyu was standing in the doorway, "I was wondering what all the noise was about. I had no idea you were having a party in here."

All the girls were surprised to see Miss Orimura and tensed up, "Miss Orimura!" they all said in unison.

"Welcome home Chifuyu. You got back early. Have you eaten yet? If not, I can make you something," Ichika greeted his sister as he walked up to her.

Chifuyu handed him her bag and walked past him, "No, I've already eaten thanks."

"Then how about a nice cup of tea instead. I got cold barley, and hot green and pico," Ichika offered.

"You know, I was out in the heat getting hot and sweaty, so I'll have a cold one, okay," Chifuyu answered as she took her jacket off.

"Right, sure thing," Ichika said as he went into the kitchen.

Meanwhile Ichika was busy getting some cold barley, all the girls were staring at Chifuyu and noting to themselves that the two siblings sound like a married couple. Scott couldn't deny that fact either.

Chifuyu turned around to glance at the gang and found them all looking at her with weird expressions, causing them all to look away and nervously laugh it off, "Hey just forget it. I have to leave soon, I got work to do."

"What? Right now?" Ichika asked his sister.

"Unlike you slackers, the instructors stay busy even during the summer break," Chifuyu then turned to the gang, "You guys make yourself at home. No sleepovers though. Oh, and Shinonono."

"Uh, yes Ma'am."

"You really should go and visit your aunt. You haven't been home lately right?" Chifuyu asked.

"No, Ma'am."

"Then do it," Chifuyu then walked back to the front door and turned around before leaving, "And Stalker, I'll need to speak with you sometime soon."

Scott looked over to Chifuyu and gave a half-hearted salute with a grin, "Got it."

"Well, see you at the cellblocks," Chifuyu said before closing the door behind her.

"I guess being a teacher isn't easy," Ichika commented before he saw the stares he was receiving. "Is there something wrong?"

"Well you see, it was just that you were acting as though you were Miss Orimura's wife," Charlotte answered, which confused Ichika.

"Yeah, the thing is you and your sister are kinda intimate," Rin explained.

"Isn't that normal? We're brother and sister," Ichika reasoned.

Rin sighed, "Yeah, but you two are actually kinda unique."

"Huh, what do you mean by that?" Ichika asked them. He then turned to Scott for an answer.

"Hey, I don't know much about you and your sister's relationship, but I'm going to have to agree with the girls on this one."

* * *

Hours went by and the gang had played the game multiple times. The pieces were scattered along the table with the clay.

Ichika stood up, "Well I better start getting ready for dinner now. I need to go get some groceries."

"In that case, I'm going to make something special for you," Rin stated as she got up too.

"Yeah, and that goes for me too," Houki chimed in.

"And I will be glad to help you out as well," Charlotte said.

Laura leaned forward in her seat with her arms crossed, "Of course I'll be participating in the effort."

"Well I suppose I have no choice. Why don't I just go and-"

"Oh no you don't!" Everyone save Scott shouted at Cecilia, confusing the poor girl.

Scott had a confused expression and walked over to Ichika and whispered to him, "Uh, what was that about?"

"You haven't tried Cecilia's cooking so you wouldn't know, but she's a terrible cook," Ichika whispered back.

"Oh come on, she can't be that terrible."

Ichika gave Scott a dead serious look, "Trust me, she is."

* * *

Hugh was currently trying to sleep in spite of all the pain he was in right now, due to the knife in his hand. He felt dizzy and sick from blood loss and infection.

His pants were drenched in blood from the stab wound both on his leg and hand. Blood was dripping from the seat and Hugh was dehydrated and hungry. His captors did cauterize all his wounds to stop the bleeding but his constant struggling would reopen them. His wounds also became infected due to all the dust and dirt in the old room his was locked in.

He heard the door open once more and saw people walk up to him in his fuzzy vision.

"Boy, you look like you're barely alive Hugh. Did the wounds take that big of a toll on you?" David mocked as he sat down on the chair in front of Hugh.

It's been a week and a half, and David's been keeping Hugh alive just barely. He would occasionally have one of his guys come in and check on Hugh. Sometimes force feed him food and water just so Hugh could keep on pushing through.

Hugh could barely make out David's face, "I told you already-" Hugh coughed up blood, "I'm not going to give you answers."

David was no longer in crutches. He just had some bandages on his leg where Hugh stabbed him and that was it. The bruising on his neck subsided, but it was still sore.

"You're a real mess you know that. I'm surprised you've held up this far," David commented. "Is it because you plan on getting out alive?"

"Fuck you! Just kill me, I'm not saying anything about my work. You're wasting your time," Hugh said.

David chuckled as he took the knife out of Hugh's hand, earning a slight groan from the latter, "Oh believe me, I would love to kill you. But first, you need to tell me where you hid your work?"

Hugh just grunted in amusement to his request.

"I see. Well, lucky for you I have a special toy today. We're gonna have lots of fun," David said as he got up and walked over to one of the other mercanaries and took a blow torch from them.

David then sat back down and lit the torch and hovered his combat knife over the flame until it was a bright red. He then stabbed the knife into Hugh's other leg and could hear the noise it made as it singed Hugh's flesh.

"Arrrgh!" Hugh screamed in pain.

David removed the knife, "Now, are you ready to talk?"

"Fuck you!"

"You want to play some more? I'm fine with that," David said as he stabbed Hugh in the gut with the burning hot blade. The latter started coughing up blood and was crying in pain from the burning sensation from the knife.

David pulled the knife out once more and placed it over the flame again. "Don't worry, the wound is superficial, you won't die as long as we stop the bleeding."

The blade was red hot again and this time David placed it over Hugh's wounds and let it stop the bleeding by cauterizing them as Hugh winced in pain. Once that was done, David got up went around to the back of Hugh's chair and pulled his hair back and placed the red hot blade on the man's face.

"Ahhh! Argh!" Hugh yelled in pain.

"You just need to tell me one thing. Then I can leave you in a dumpster and let you go," David bargained after removing the blade from Hugh's face.

"Bullshit, as soon as I tell you: I'm a dead man," Hugh retorted.

David frowned, "You could've at least feigned a surprised look when I told you the lie."

Hugh tried laughing, but ended up coughing up more blood. "You think I'd give you the pleasure of seeing me give in?"

"I was hoping. It's always so amusing to see the kinds of reactions people give me when I tell them that lie."

"Well, I'm not one of them," Hugh replied.

"No? Then how about this?" David said as he waved one of the men over. He took the document from them and unraveled the envelop.

He took out pictures and placed the document on the nearby table. He walked back over to Hugh and sat on the chair, "Then what about these?" David asked as he flipped the pictures over so Hugh could see them.

David slowly flipped through them and all of them were pictures of Scott at the Academy. Some of them were Scott in his dorm room, others were him outside with his friends or in the cafeteria with Ichika and the gang.

One picture after another the colour in Hugh's face drained slowly as if he'd seen a ghost.

They knew he had a son all this time and where he was.

David had a sinister grin, "That's the expression I was looking for."

"What do you want with him! He knows nothing about my work! He was never involved!" Hugh shouted.

"It's not really him I want. I want his IS, or at least what's inside it. I have a feeling it's somehow related to your research on the machines. Oh but my client does want your son's IS. It's caught their attention," David explained.

"Besides, I want to see Scott for myself and have a nice chat with him. See what he really knows, whether he's clueless or not," David said calmly.

"He built his own IS! It has nothing to do with my work. He built it behind my back. It's a coincedence that he can pilot an IS," Hugh reasoned.

"Coincedence? Didn't I hear you say you don't believe in coincedence two weeks ago?" David inquired with a smirk.

Hugh grit his teeth, "How long have you been watching us?!"

"Long enough."

"Now about your son, he seems pretty capable. I mean, after all the training he went through. It was a shame I couldn't get a spy to go on that summer trip of his. I heard him and his friends took out a rogue IS," David said.

"I'm telling you the truth when I say he doesn't know about any of my work. He was too young back then to remember it!" Hugh shouted before he started coughing more blood.

"Look at you. Already have one foot in the grave and you're still trying to protect him. Shouldn't you be worried about your own life?" David genuinely asked.

"I don't care if I'm half dead already, my son is my first priority, and with it, his safety," Hugh explained.

"Oh, but you can't save him from me. I will capture him, and torment him like I did you," David laugh maniacally.

"That's not gonna happen! You want to know why, he has the strongest person I know watching over him everyday. With her there, you won't even be able to lay a finger on him," Hugh stated.

"Oh, we're not going to him. He'll come to us," David replied. "You want to know how?"

Hugh grit his teeth.

David then pulled out a camera from one of his pockets, "This is how. He'll see your poor broken body in that chair and come running to save you. I know he will. You're his only family left," David smiled sadistically.

"He knows better than that," Hugh said confidently.

"Still believe I can't touch him?" David asked.

Hugh didn't answer.

"Don't worry, we're not going to film you right at this moment. I want to work a bit more on getting you ready for the big screen. In due time you'll be filmed live though."

* * *

Back at the grocery store, Ichika, Scott and the girls were all out buying food for their dishes.

Charlotte giggled as she was with Houki and Laura choosing potatoes, "This reminds me of all the times I used to go to the market with my mother."

"I took cooking orientations when I was in the military. I will show them what I have learned from my instructor," Laura said as she picked up one of the potatoes.

Rin and Cecilia were walking together down an aisle. The former looked annoyed while the latter was frustrated and confused.

"I still don't understand why I don't get to cook anything. I want to show my skills so England can be fairly represented as well!" Cecilia complained.

"I don't think _you_ representing England goes overall that well with the people in England," Rin commented.

"What is that suppose to mean?!" Cecilia shouted at the Chinese girl.

Scott was busy picking out meat and vegetables for his dish while Laura was with him carrying a bag of potatoes and other ingredients she picked out.

"So what are you making?" Scott asked.

"I'm making Japanese Oden," Laura replied confidently. "What about you?"

"I'm making some Shepherd's Pie. A dish my father taught me," Scott answered as he put a small block of cheddar cheese in his basket.

"What's that?"

"An Irish dish. It consists of beef, vegetables, mashed potatoes and grated cheese on top. Quite tasty if you have a good recipe."

Meanwhile, Ichika and Houki were walking together.

"So you still haven't visited your family's shrine yet, huh?" Ichika asked.

"No, I haven't. But to be honest I was already thinking of visiting them soon even before Chifuyu brought it up this afternoon."

"That's good. I'm sure your Aunt Yukiko would be really glad to see you," Ichika commented, earning a smile from Houki.

Houki's face then changed and became slightly red, "Well, actually Ichika at this year's summer festival I'll be-"

"Ichika!" Charlotte called out.

Ichika looked down the aisle they were walking and saw Cecilia was trying to get to him but was being held back by Charlotte and Rin. Both girls were shouting and yelling as Cecilia was complaining about her not being able to cook.

Scott and Laura were both standing in front of the trio and watching. The former was injured so he could only stand by and watch while the latter found it slightly amusing.

Ichika gave a slight sigh, "What the hell are those girls doing now?"

Ichika starting walking towards them while Houki stood where she was and watched him as a smile appeared on her face.

"There, there," Ichika said in an attempt to calm Cecilia down as he walked up to her.

"I don't care what you say! I will make you eat it Ichika, and you will like it!" Cecilia shouted.

* * *

"Ahh, c'mon! This potatoe is so hard to cut," Rin complained before turning to Laura, "Because you picked the wrong kind!"

"You insult me with your ignorance. Back when I was living in Germany, I was absolutely the best in my unit when it came to picking the right potatoes," Laura said as she brandished a big shiny combat knife and used it to slice her potatoe in half.

Scott was watching the two as he did his best to cut up his vegetables with only one hand, "Are you sure it wasn't because they were scared of you, and maybe didn't want to piss you off?" Scott asked rhetorically under his breath.

"What did you say?! You're saying they lied to me?!" Laura pointed her knife at the injured boy's throat.

Scott put his one hand up in defense and leaned his head back a bit to avoid the knife, "No, no! I didn't mean it like that."

Houki was busy washing her fish when Ichika spoke up, "Uh, Houki. Weren't you going to say something to me back at the grocery store earlier?"

"Oh, it's nothing..." Houki replied, "More importantly, are you going to let her continue with that?" Houki asked as she turned to look at Cecilia who was busy 'cooking' her own dish.

Cecilia was busy loading the pot she was using with a bunch of different ingredients she didn't know about. The contents of the pot were glowing red and yellow and looked like lava.

"I think it needs a good deal more red. Much more!" Cecilia said to herself as she emptied an entire bottle of ketchup into her pot, then pulled out two bottles of tabasco sauce and started emptying those into it.

Ichika had a depressed aura around him as he watched the British girl, "I think, the ship has already sailed on that one."

Scott was busy searching his countertop as if he lost something, "Where the hell did my block of cheese go? I swear I put it right beside my pan." He turned around to the rest of the gang, "Did one of you use my block of cheese?"

"Oh, you mean the one I found near the microwave?" Cecilia asked.

"Yes."

"I used it," Cecilia explained.

Scott looked at her pot and saw a dangerous looking dish if one could call it that. "In that?! What about my food! I need it for my dish!"

"I didn't think you were using it, so I took it."

Scott growled in annoyance at the girl before turning back to his own food as Cecilia went back to stirring her pot of death.

"Um, Cecilia. I think it would be a really good idea if you didn't do anymore cooking," Charlotte strongly suggested as she had a worried look on her face. She stood a couple meters away from Cecilia and was holding her pot away from the stove Cecilia was using.

"But I can't bear the idea of doing nothing when everybody else around me is working so hard!... But you needn't worry, my cooking starts with a few small defeats, but I usually win the war," Cecilia said confidently, completely unaware that what she was currently making was inedible.

"But cooking is not a martial art, or a game!" Charlotte reasoned.

Ichika was watching the whole encounter with a hopeless expression before Laura called his name, "Ichika, Ichika, come and see what I have prepared," Laura said, like she was an old person baiting little kids to get inside a van with candy.

Ichika turned to her and walked closer before Laura produced something on a stick, "Let's see, could it be-"

"It's Oden," Laura said confidently.

Ichika didn't reply, and Rin who overheard the German girl had a dead fish expression as she tried comprehending how the food Laura was holding was Oden.

"It's Ode-"

"No, no, no! No need to repeat it," Ichika cut her off.

"My Lieutenant instructed me in the preparation of this dish back when I was still stationed in Germany. This is obviously traditional Japanese Oden, ja?" Laura explained.

"Just what Japanese culture was your Lieutenant famaliar with?" Rin legitimately asked.

Before Laura could answer a loud bang happened behind Ichika, startling all three as they quickly looked in the direction of the explosion.

The culprit was none other than Cecilia who had her mouth covered and one of her BIT's hovering above the stove, aimed at the now burnt pot. "Oh drutted," Cecilia said.

"You were heating it up with a laser! That's so irresponsible!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Failure is the mother of success!" Cecilia reasoned, "Watch me do it perfectly this time in Cecilia Alcott's IS cooking show!" she said in a confident and excited tone.

"That may be true in most cases but using your IS- no, cooking in general for _you_ is a bad idea," Scott said as he was shielding his own dish.

"Hey, don't worry about that anymore! You could- could you just set the table please!" Rin suggested in a worried tone.

"Oh yes, that sounds good!" Charlotte agreed.

"But why? Please explain why everyone is attempting to prevent me from cooking?!"

Scott leaned closer to Ichika, "I see what you mean now," he whispered.

"I will not allow you to stop me from cooking!" Cecilia said as she pulled out another pot.

"No, no! We asked you to set the table for us!" Rin explained as she tried pulling the pot away from Cecilia.

"Get off of me! I'm trying to cook!"

"We know that Cecilia. It's why we're interferring," Scott explained as he walked over to Cecilia and put a hand on her shoulder, earning a glare from the girl. "Rin, can you let go. I'll help her cook," Scott asked nicely.

Rin gave Scott a worried look, before reluctantly letting go of the pot.

Cecilia was acting smug as she won the fight, "At least somebody believes in me."

Scott turned to Ichika, "Could you open the glass door, I find it getting hot in here."

Ichika had a confused look as the room temperature was fine, but complied anyways.

"That's better," Scott said as the rest of the gang was carefully watching him and Cecilia cook.

Ther latter was about to start throwing stuff in the pot when Scott stopped her, "Hold on, first we must prepare ourselves."

Cecilia gave him a weird look, "I don't understand."

Scott put his hand back on her shoulder, "You need to take deep breaths. In... and out," he said as Cecilia did the same. Scott looked towards Ichika, "I'm sorry in advance."

The next moment they both disappeared. Ichika and the other four girls had confused looks before Scott reappeared beside Ichika and shut the glass door behind him and locked it, "There. Problem solved," he said.

Shortly after, the gang heard banging on the door behind Scott, "Let me in! Let me in you bastard!"

Cecilia was outside the house in Ichika's backyard, "You tricked me! I never should-" Cecilia stopped shouting abruptly and put a hand to her mouth and another to her stomach before running out of view as gagging and sounds of vomitting could be heard.

Ichika turned to Scott with a somewhat confused, yet upset look, "Hey, I said I was sorry." Scott said in defense.

"What did you do?" Houki asked.

"Nothing, it's just I had a feeling she'd throw up after teleporting for the first time. It's really hard on your stomach for the first few times," Scott explained.

"Is that what the breathing was for?" Charlotte asked.

Scott nodded his head slightly, "Sort of. It does help, but it was mainly to distract her."

"Okay, aside from her throwing up, you are able to teleport more than one person?" Ichika asked surprised.

"As it turns out, yes."

"What do you mean 'as it turns out?'" Rin asked suspiciously.

"Exactly as it states. It turns out I can teleport more than one person," Scott explained.

"So you're telling us that one of you could've died?" Laura asked.

"... No, I would've been fine. Cecilia would've."

"You were okay with possibly killing Cecilia?!" Ichika exclaimed.

Scott put his hand to his chin with a thoughtful look, "I mean, it would've been a huge benefit to me, since she'd no longer be here to annoy me. But I wouldn't have done it if I wasn't positive it was safe," he replied calmly.

Cecilia came back into view with one hand on her stomach and leaned against the door, "Can you let me in?" She asked weakly.

Ichika was about to unlock the door when Scott stopped him.

"Do you promise to not cook tonight?" Scott asked.

Cecilia nodded her head.

"And that you won't try to kill me?"

She nodded again.

"And that you'll be a good girl and sit down after cleaning up and setting the table?"

The girl nodded once more.

"Okay, you can come in then," Scott said as he unlocked the door.

Cecilia opened the door and went straight to the bathroom to clean herself up.

All the other girls watched the poor blonde until she was out of sight, then turned to Scott.

"What?" He asked.

All the girls quickly looked away and nervously laughed, "Nothing! Nothing at all!" They all said in unison.

Thirty minutes later Cecilia was currently sitting at the table with her head down after she finished setting it. She heard a cup being placed beside her head and then felt a warm hand on her back as it gently rubbed back and forth.

She opened her eyes to see Scott above her, smiling gently. "Sorry about earlier. Here's some water to help," he said.

"Why are you nice to me?" Cecilia asked as she lifted her head and took the glass of water.

Scott let out a laugh, "I wouldn't consider making you throw up, as nice."

"No, I mean, why are you always nice to me when I'm rude to you? I called you a pervert and yet you saved me from the Gospel, and even now you are handing me a glass of water when I was shouting and calling you names."

Scott sat down beside her, "I don't really care about the name calling or the label you gave me. You're a classmate and friend. We may not get along, but I'll do whatever it takes to help my friends."

He then laughed, "And the water is because I feel guilty for forcfully using my ability on you, which made you feel sick."

"You're going to have to clean that up," Ichika commented as he placed a dish on the table.

"What?! Come on!" Scott complained. "She's the one who threw up!"

"I don't care. You're the one who made her throw up."

Scott got up from his seat and went back into the kitchen as the others were bringing the dishes they made to the table.

He came back with a glass pan that was filled with ground beef, chopped mixed vegetables, mashed potatoes and cheese layered in that order.

There was already a piece missing from it and he placed a plate in front of Cecilia.

She looked at the plate and found a small piece of the pie on it.

Scott laughed as Cecilia was playing with the piece of pie, "Try it. It's good."

Rin was watching the whole encounter, "That must be some real guilt you have there," she said slyly.

Scott tensed slightly, "Yes, I do have lots of guilt. I feel bad."

"Mhm, I'm sure you do," Charlotte chimed in with a sly smile. Both Houki and Laura agreed by nodding their heads.

"Oh, like you girls are ones to talk! I know your secret," Scott countered. "There's nothing going on here, end of story."

"That's what a guy in love would say," Rin commented.

Scott turned to Rin and had a mischievous grin, "Would you like to be my next victim?"

Rin gulped and shut her mouth.

"I believe Scott. I'd do the same thing if I were him," Ichika said.

"Yes, thank you! Someone believes me," Scott said exasperated.

"Ichika doesn't count," Houki said.

"What?!" Both boys said in unison.

* * *

It was late at night and the light from the bar was reflecting off the glass cups on the counter. In front of the two cups filled with alcohol were Maya Yamada and Chifuyu Orimura.

"You know, I have to say it was unusually considerate of you to leave all of them together at your house like that," Maya said.

The green haired lady was wearing a black dress with the shoulder straps hanging off the sides revealing her shoulders and some of her cleavage. She also wore a yellow frilly bra that had a nice contrast to the black dress and further emphasized her bust.

Chifuyu was wearing her usual outfit which was the black suit jacket, but without the dress shirt and tie, revealing a good portion of Chifuyu's cleavage. She also wore black thigh socks with her mini skirt.

"Well, I'm sure they would never be able to relax if I was around," Chifuyu said.

"But you are still his big sister after all. Doesn't it bother you that he's there all alone with his female friends?" Maya inquired.

"Well actually Scott is there too... But do you remember our summer school session at the beach? I said something to them back there that I should never had said," Chifuyu replied.

"What do you mean by that Ma'am?"

"Privately I told those five I wasn't going to let them have Ichika without paying," Chifuyu explained.

"Really?!"

"Yeah really. I don't even know why I told them that, but I didn't really give it a lot of thought beforehand. I didn't mean to sound weird, but I can't help but think those girls look at me as their rival."

Maya laughed, "You know Miss Orimura, now you're starting to sound a lot like Ichika."

"Oh yeah, what do you mean by that?"

"It's like how you have no boundaries when it comes to kindness," Maya explained.

Chifuyu turned her head forward and had a slightly annoyed look, "Humph. Maya, what have we said about your knowledge of men?"

Maya giggled, "Maybe you're right... But everybody has to grow up eventually. We all go through all kinds of... things you know."

Chifuyu grunted in amusement, "You sound like an old busy-body."

"Aww, now that's just mean! And you're older than me Miss Orimura!"

Chifuyu laughed, "Sorry, sorry."

"Just buy me another drink," Maya said.

Chifuyu waved the bartender over, "Can I get one more drink over here."

Maya's expression changed as she looked to Chifuyu, "...But what are you going to do about Scott? He will find out eventually if you don't tell him soon," she asked.

Chifuyu's expression changed from a happy, content look to a somber one, "Actually make that two more," she called out to the bartender.

The man came over with two more of the same drink and handed them to the ladies.

Chifuyu took a big swig of hers, "I will tell him. I just don't know how... It'll break him."

"It'll break him even more if he finds out on his own and then learns you knew all along."

Chifuyu took another swig, "I'll tell him... I will, he deserves to know. I just don't want to ruin his happy mood."

* * *

It was midday and the sound of birds chirping could be heard throughout the loud noise coming from the Shinonono shrine as it was preparing for the Summer Festival.

Houki was standing along the walkway of the shrine and was watching the crowd finish the final preparations for the Festival.

"Well Festival season is here once again," she said to herself.

"Oh Houki, I didn't know you were here," A woman called out from behind.

Houki turned to see her Aunt Yukiko in a Yukata, "Oh, yes Ma'am. I apologize. I should've told you I was coming."

"That's alright dear. I'm sure you want to have a look around first. After all, it's been quite a while. But actually your timing is just perfect. I was wondering who could perform the Kagura Mai Dance this year."

"I'm glad to be able to help you Aunt Yukiko. I really am," Houki said sincerely.

* * *

A while later after looking around the stalls before the Festival starts, Houki was in the family bathhouse.

She poured a bucket of hot water over herself and placed it back on the ground as she lifted the hand which held her IS standby mode and looked at it.

 _"I_ _f my sister didn't work with the IS program, I could've continued living here. Instead of moving around from place to place. I could've stayed here with Ichika,_ Houki thought to herself.

"Houki, would you mind taking care of the oracle booth once your finish with your bath dear?" Her Aunt Yukiko called out from behind the door.

"Sure, no problem," Houki replied as she placed her arms under her breasts in an attempt to hide them.

Houki then got into the bath and sat down with her knees in front of her, "Ichika... I wonder what he's doing right now."

* * *

It was finally dark out and the Festival had already begun. The shrine was bustling with life as people were all walking around checking out the various stalls and food. Traditional Festival music was playing in the background further increasing the enjoyment of those in the crowd.

Kids were running around, teenagers laughing and having fun, and adults watching over their kids as they spoke with their friends.

Among the lively crowd were three people in particular.

Houki was currently looking at the one person she didn't want to see, "Hey there," Ichika said as he waved to the girl.

"Good evening Houki. Nice to see you here," Scott said. He was currently standing beside Ichika still in his usual clothes with the medical sling around his left arm.

"And just what in the heck are you doing here?!" Houki asked in frustration, aiming the question at Ichika.

"Well, I thought this is where you might be. After all you told me you'd be stopping by here soon... Besides it is the Summer Festival," Ichika reasoned.

Houki's front deflated and became slightly shy, "You, you remember that?"

"You're so standoffish sometimes. And you really should've called me, so why didn't you?" Ichika inquired.

Houki tensed up and was at a loss for words, "Because I-"

 _"I can't tell him. I can't tell him that I was embarassed to let him see me looking like this. And even if I did tell him..."_ Houki imagined Ichika laughing at her and saying she looked terrible in her girly outfit, _"If he ever said something like that I would never be able to recover. Ever!"_ Houki thought to herself.

"Hey, you look great in that outfit. It really fits," Ichika commented.

"Huh?!" Houki said in surprise as she looked at Ichika.

"That feminine look really suits you. In fact it blew me away because you look so beautiful," Ichika continued with a slightly embarrassed face.

Scott nudged Ichika's side to tease him, "I agree with him. You do look amazing in that outfit."

Ichika looked at Houki and saw she had a blank face from too much shock, "What's wrong?" he asked.

Houki threw her arms up as she started shouting, "This is a dream! This whole thing has gotta be a dream! And I need to wake up. Right now!"

Her outburst turned a lot of heads from the crowd their way as they watched Houki shout nonsense, embarrassing both Ichika and Scott.

Scott put his hand on Ichika's shoulder as Houki continued shouting, "I'm going to leave this one in your care," he said before disappearing.

"Wait no! Come ba-" Ichika turned around and saw Scott was already gone.

Ichika then turned back to the flustered Houki and put his arms up in defense, "What are you talking about Houki! Calm down!"

Houki's Aunt peeked her head out from behind the back wall inside the oracle booth, "Houki dear, maybe you should take a break."

"Huh? Do what? I'm suppose to be working," Houki said as she looked back and forth between Ichika and her Aunt.

"It's alright as long as you come back before the Kagura Mai, dear. Let me get you that Yukata right now," Yukiko explained.

Houki looked back at Ichika with a worried expression before the realisation dawned on her, _"Wait? A Yukata! I'll get to stroll with Ichika in a Yukata? To make it even better, Ichika already told me I look good in a lady-like outfit."_

"Hey Ichika, long time no see huh," Ran said as she was playing with a ball attached to a string, (like a paddle ball but without the paddle). She was wearing a purple Yukata with light purple flower designs dotted all over it and a checkered red and purple belt to hold it in place. She had a pink bandana holding her messy red hair up and had brown eyes.

Ichika turned around to find his friends little sister standing in front of him, "Ran?" He asked in a surprised tone.

"But, she's-" Houki said in a defeated tone, seeing as another girl who knows Ichika had shown up.

The three of them were walking along the Festival's path. Houki had changed into a red Yukata with pink flower designs and a purple belt.

Houki still had a defeated look as she had her head slightly down, "How could this have happened to me?"

"She said she got separated from her brother. Why don't we go look around for him together?" Ichika suggested, earning a growl from Houki. Not that he noticed it in the first place.

"I'm Ran Gotanda, and Ichika's already told me a lot about you Miss Shinonono," Ran introduced herself. (A/N: I'm actually surprised Ichika forgot to give a proper introduction of the two girls, now that I think about it. So instead she had to introduce herself xD)

"Oh, I've heard a lot about you too. You're the younger sister of Ichika's friend right?"

"That's right! But I know my stupid brother is always giving Ichika way too much trouble."

"Hey, I don't think I've ever seen you in a Yukata before Ran, and you look pretty good in it too," Ichika commented.

Ran gave a surprised gasp, "Do you really think so? Gosh, thank you very much Ichika."

 _"Ichika, when you told me about your friend; You said his sister wasn't very nice to you, but it's blantantly obvious she likes you!"_ Houki thought to herself.

 _"He told me she wasn't feminine at all. He said she was more like a Samurai and martial arts freak. He never told me she was so beautiful,"_ Ran thought.

"Let's see, what should I have to eat first?" Ichika said aloud, looking around at all the nearby food stalls.

They went around to some food stalls and ate. Ichika had a corndog with ketchup on it, Ran had some cottoncandy while Houki had a candyapple.

Time went by and Ran started playing some games at the stalls. At one of them they had to catch fish with with a paper net. At another one they had to shoot plushies down with a toy gun. They went to a stall that was selling masks and were trying them on.

"Uhh, shouldn't we be looking for your brother?" Ichika asked in a confused tone as they weren't even trying.

"No, no, it's okay really. I mean, I'm going to be in highschool next year, so my big brother shouldn't be hovering over me all the time," Ran reasoned.

"I see. I suppose you can't be a kid forever now can you," Ichika said.

"That's right," the red haired girl agreed.

Houki was trailing behind the two as she felt left out, since Ichika and Ran were having so much fun that they forgot about her.

* * *

Scott was currently walking around the Festival stalls with a lion plushie he thought looked cool as he was trying out some octupus balls on sticks he bought. He was holding the plushie between his broken arm and chest while he held a few of the octopus balls with his left hand and another in his right hand.

He was checking out a game stall that looked interesting to him when he heard someone start yelling behind him. Their tone of voice indicated they were worried. Scott turned around and saw a boy the same age as him looking all over for someone.

"Ran! Ran, where are you!" The teenager shouted.

He was wearing a blue t-shirt with a white undershirt, and wore blue jeans. A black bandana was keeping his long red hair out of his face and he had brown eyes.

Scott walked closer to see who he was looking for until the boy came up to him, "Have you seen my little sister? She about yay tall, red hair like mine, and has a flat chest," he inquired while using his hands to describe his sister's figure.

"Uh, no. I haven't," Scott answered.

The boy put his hands to his head and looked like he was going to pull his hair out, "Aw man, gramps is gonna kill me!" He said as he turned around to go back to searching.

"I could help you if you want," Scott offered.

The red haired boy turned back to Scott, "Really?! Thank you, that'd be great if you could."

"Yeah, I'm not really doing anything at the moment. I don't mind helping you find your sister."

The boy shook Scott's hand vigorously, "Thank you so much!"

Before long Scott was running around trying to keep up with the teenager while asking the people he passed if they'd seen a girl with the same description Dan gave him, minus the flat chest part.

Both met up after a while and went over what they learned.

"I got nothing," Scott said.

"Me either. Nobody's seen her around," the red haired boy said.

Scott finished eating his last octopus ball and extended his hand, "My name's Scott by the way."

The boy took Scott's hand and shook it, "Dan Gotanda."

"So what's your sister's name?" Scott inquired.

"Oh right, her name is Ran," Dan answered as they started walking again.

"Anything else that could help with the description of her?"

Dan scratched his head, "Let me see. Red hair, flat chest, fairly short... oh right, brown eyes. And she's wearing a Yukata."

Scott had a funny look, _"Quite the description you have there."_

"Well, lets keep looking. I'm sure she'll turn up eventually," Scott suggested.

"Right," Dan agreed and ran off again, yelling and shouting, much to Scott dismay.

 _"With all the shouting and the embarrassing description, I wouldn't be surprised if she's hiding from him,"_ Scott thought to himself before running to catch up with Dan.

He followed the shouting and found Dan in the middle of a large crowd, "Ran! Where did you go Ran! Your big brother is looking for you!"

"Excuse me sir, have you seen my little sister? She's about this tall and wearing a Yukata. Her hair is like this, and her chest is completely flat like this. Please somebody must've seen her, help me!" Dan looked like he was having a meltdown as tears were starting to escape his eyes.

Scott was about to push through the crowd to get to Dan when a girl stomped towards him with her sleeves rolled up and an arm pulled back.

The girl punched him in the face, and started shouting at him, "Will you cut it out you big idiot!"

Scott got a good look at the girl and realised she matched Dan's description.

Dan was on the ground from the punch and Ran started stomping on his stomach, "Why are you running around shouting such embarrassing things?!"

 _"Yep,"_ Scott had a scared look, _"She was definitely avoiding. Just not like how I imagined,"_ he thought.

Scott sighed and then walked up to the two siblings.

He came up behind Ran who was still pounding her brother for embarrassing her and picked the petite girl up with his working arm and threw her over his shoulder, earning a loud scream, "Ahhhh! Dan, help me! Someone's kidnapping me!"

She started kicking and jabbing at Scott, "Put me down you creep! My brother is here! He'll beat you to a pulp!"

Scott laughed, "In that condition you put him in?"

Ran stopped kicking and screaming as she looked at Dan. He was bruised and battered from her beating.

Ran nervously laughed before she continued screaming for help, "Ichika! Save me, this creep is trying to kidnap me!"

Ichika walked up to the trio, "Scott what are you doing?"

"I pulled her off of Dan, and keeping her from beating him up any further," Scott explained.

"I see."

"Ichika, what are you doing?! Why are you having a casual conversation with the guy who's trying to kidnap me!" Ran exclaimed as she continued punching Scott back.

"You know, this girl can really pack a punch," Scott commented as he was wincing in pain. "Look! I'm not here to kidnap you and do dirty things," he explained to Ran, who continued punching and kicking, "So could you quit hitting me!" Scott shouted in frustration.

Scott's outburst shut the girl up.

"Thank you," Scott said, "Now I'll put you back down if you promise not to hit me anymore."

Ran grunted, "Fine."

"Good," Scott said as he put her back down.

The girl finally got a good look at Scott, "You were the one who picked me up?"

"Yes, is there something wrong with that?"

Ran kicked Scott in the groan earning a painful moan from him as he dropped to his knees, "That was for scaring me half to death!"

"Yes Ma'am, sorry Ma'am," Scott said as he held his precious parts.

Ichika had a scared look painted on his face, "Don't you think that's a little harsh?"

"No, I don't even know this guy and he had the nerve to pick me up and put me over his shoulder."

Dan finally got back up from the ground, "Now look at what you've done. You've nearly hospitalized a person who's already injured! An injured person who offered to help me find you!" He scolded his sister.

Ran stood there for a moment before she pieced the situation together. The next moment she was down by Scott's side rubbing his back, "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I didn't know you were with my brother!"

Scott gave a weak, painful smile, "It's all good. I've had worse happen to me."

"Where's Houki?" Scott asked while still on the ground in pain.

"Oh, she went to go get ready for the Kagura Mai Dance," Ichika explained.

"I see," Scott said as he slowly got back up, "I guess we should head over there then."

All four of them started walking towards the Shrine.

"So Scott, how do you know Dan?" Ichika asked.

"Wait you know him?" Scott inquired.

"Yeah."

"Oh. Well, I ran into him while checking some game stalls and decided to help him look for his little sister," Scott explained.

Ran laughed nervously, "Again, I'm really sorry for early."

"Like I said, it's fine," Scott replied.

* * *

Ichika, Scott, Ran, and Dan were all standing at the outer edge of the large crowd currently standing in front of a stage. On that stage was Houki, and a small band that was playing music.

Houki was in a traditional Japanese dress, comprised of a white robe top with a red long skirt. She was wearing a gold tiara on her head that was decorated with flowers and held a white fan with red and blue flower designs in one hand. In her other hand she held a gold pole that had many bells attached to it, along with a long green ribbon.

She was dancing gracefully around the stage waving the fan and ribbon. Everyone was in awe of the performance and how beautiful the girl was. The crowd just stared in amazement while Houki danced around the stage, and to add to the amazing performance was the music being played along with it.

All four just stared in amazement at Houki all the way until the end of the dance.

Once the dance was over the crowd started to disperse including Ichika, Scott and the Gotanda siblings. Ichika stopped and turned around, "I'll catch up to you later Scott, I have something to do."

Scott looked at his friend before nodding, "Alright."

The siblings looked at each other before shrugging and went back to walking with Scott.

"So, how do you guys know Ichika?" Scott asked.

"Oh, Ichika and I go all the way back to middle school. And he met my sister through me," Dan explained.

"Yeah. But my brother always causes Ichika trouble," Ran commented.

"How do you know him?" Dan asked.

"Well I'm his roommate," Scott said.

Dan and Ran both stopped in their tracks due to shock. Scott noticed they were no longer walking with him and turned around, "What's up?"

"Yo-you're i-in the IS Academy?!" Ran stuttered.

"Yes," Scott replied casually, before he realized why they stopped. "Oh right! Sorry, I guess it isn't very common for a male to pilot an IS."

"So you can pilot one?!" Ran asked excitedly.

"Of course. I wouldn't be in the Academy if I couldn't."

Dan came up to Scott and leaned closer, "How? Where did you get one? How can I fly one?" he whispered with a mischievous grin.

"Sorry Dan, but I built mine and I only had one core available."

Dan's hopeful look deflated as a depressed aura surrounded him, "Why am I never the lucky one?"

All three started walking again, "So when did you enter the Academy?" Ran asked.

"Around three months ago."

"So, how many chicks have you picked up?" Dan asked in a sly voice.

"None, due to a huge misunderstanding," Scott replied.

"Why? They think you swing the other way?" Dan inquired.

"No! Two of my not so friendly friends spread a rumour saying I'm a pervert," Scott explained.

Dan put a hand on Scott's shoulder and had a somber look, "My condolensences."

"Tell me about it," Scott said with tears in his eyes.

Ran was weirded out by the exchange, "Can you two quit it. One Dan is enough," she said.

Scott straightened his attitude, "Sorry."

"Ichika on the other hand has girls swarming around him the majority of the time," Scott said.

Dan used his fist to hit his other hand like slamming a hammer as he had a glare, "I knew that kid was lying to me. He is in paradise!"

Scott let out a small laugh, "I'm not sure having hundreds of nutcases swarm you on a daily basis is paradise. My false label actually saves me from that, but it does prevent any of the sane girls from approaching me as well."

Ran grunted in annoyance, "I wish those girls would leave Ichika alone," she whispered under her breath.

Scott noticed her change in attitude, "Why is she angry?"

Dan sighed, "It's because she has the biggest crush on Ichika."

Ran immediately blushed and frantically waved her hands around, "N-N-No! I don't have a crush on him!"

Scott moved closer to Ran, "Do you now? You have a lot of competition to beat. Though you really only need to worry about five, one of them being Houki," he said slyly with a grin.

Ran turned around and grunted as they finally reached the entrance of the shrine.

"Well, it was nice meeting you two, but I need to go back and find my roommate," Scott said as he turned around to leave.

"Same here, and thanks again for helping me search for Ran. You should visit us sometime, we live near Ichika's house," Dan said.

"Maybe I will. See ya," Scott waved at the two.

Ran waved Scott goodbye, "It was nice meeting you too!"

* * *

Ichika and Houki were walking along one the paths within the shrine towards a gazebo that overlooked Tokyo.

"Ichika, what did you think about the dance?" Houki asked.

Ichika stopped to find the correct word to describe it, "It was... Actually it was incredible!"

"You think so? Thank you," Houki said in a happy mood, hearing her crush enjoyed her performance. She then turned around and ran towards the gazebo, excited to see the city below.

Ichika walked up to her side, "The IS Academy is over there isn't it?" He asked as they both turned to looked at the man-made Island that held the IS Academy.

"That's right."

"Man, this has been a really crazy year, huh?" Ichika commented.

"You're impatient aren't you? You're suppose wait until the end of the year to say stuff like that," Houki said in an amused tone.

"I know that, but... First they found out I could operate an IS, and that made the news, which resulted in me being accepted into the Academy. And there I met all kinds of people, and experienced so many incredible events," Ichika explained.

"This year sure flew by. But in the end, I'm glad I came here. To the Academy, I mean. Especially since I got to see you again," Ichika continued. His last comment surprised Houki and got her heart racing.

He noticed her change in attitude, "Hm, is something wrong Houki?"

She started started playing with her fingers from how nervous she felt, "Um, well... I uh, um. Ichika," Houki said as she stared into his eyes. Her faced was stained red with embarrassment, and the moonlight reflecting off her face made her look even more beautiful.

"I, I really do like you. A lot," Houki said just as the fireworks went off.

Ichika couldn't quite hear Houki's confession and instead looked to the sky as the fireworks kept going off, "Awesome! Check it out."

Houki looked to the sky as well, then moved closer to Ichika and wrapped her arm around his as she looked to sky, "What is it now?" Ichika asked.

"Look, just let me do this at least," Houki said, slightly annoyed with his obliviousness.

"Sure, okay," Ichika replied in a confused tone as they both went back to watching the fireworks.

* * *

Scott was walking around the now nearly dead festival stalls looking for Ichika and Houki. He asked around but no one seemed to have seen them in the area.

Scott sat down on a bench in a secluded area and looked at his plushie, "Where the hell did he go?"

He heard the sound of high heels clicking against the stone and turned his head in the direction to find Chifuyu, "What are you doing here?" Scott asked.

"I'm here to see you, because there's something important I need to tell you," Chifuyu said as she sat down with him.

"Alright, what is it?"

Chifuyu was hesitant as she had her mouth open but nothing came out. "..It's..."

"It's?" Scott inquired.

"It's your father. He's been kidnapped," Chifuyu finished. She looked at Scott and saw a mixture of disbelief, worry, and confusion.

"You're... You're joking right?" Scott asked in denial, panick evident in his eyes, "Please tell me this a cruel joke."

Chifuyu had a somber look as she stared him directly in the eyes, but was unable to speak.

Scott was still in denial as he looked at Chifuyu. She wasn't saying anything and her expression seemed all too real for it to be a joke. He didn't want to believe his father was kidnapped. It was impossible. Why would anyone want his father? He was just a scientist, a retired one at that. His hobbies were boxing and watching television for christ sake. But there was this odd feeling inside of Scott telling him that Chifuyu wasn't lying.

"Who? Who took him!" He asked in a panicked tone.

Chifuyu looked down, unable to answer.

An overwhelming feeling came over Scott as he looked down at Chifuyu, who wasn't answering, "Don't keep secrets from me. He's my father, I want to know who took him!" Scott asked, his voice shifting from panic to rage.

"I... I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I don't know because we couldn't figure out who it was," Chifuyu explained.

The whole time Scott had clenched the hand that was holding the lion plushie. He let go of it and got up from the bench and turned around, "How could you have not figured it out! Isn't Japan one of the world's most technologically advanced countries?!" Scott asked in rage as he gripped Chifuyu's collar and pulled her closer.

"I said I don't know! They came in under the radar and took your father before we had time to react!" Chifuyu explained in a defeated tone, not bothering to remove Scott's hand.

"Damn it! I'll do it myself then!" Scott shouted as he shoved Chifuyu back onto the bench.

He was about to turn and leave when Chifuyu grabbed his arm, "Let me go!" Scott said.

"So you can run off on a wild goose chase?" She asked, regaining her composure.

"Yes. I don't give a damn about the regulations! He's my father!"

"How can you! You aren't even in the right condition to fight, let alone use your IS!" Chifuyu shouted.

Scott stood in place with his back turned to Chifuyu, "So you want me to just sit and wait for him to come back?" He asked quietly, sadness evident in his voice.

"No, you know what I mean. It's not smart to go running off without knowing where he is," Chifuyu replied with a softer voice.

"I... I can't sit and wait. If anything I should be out there looking for him," Scott said as he turned back around with tears in his eyes.

"It's okay. The Japanese government is working alongside Canada to find your father. They should find him soon enough," Chifuyu explained as she pulled Scott into a hug to comfort him.

Her warm hug felt good to him. It eased the pain he felt, and Scott slowly and reluctantly wrapped his arm around Chifuyu as he started crying, "That's not enough. He's the only person I have left."

* * *

Alright, and we're finished! Hope you enjoyed this lovely chapter. Sorry for the late update guys, I hope this long chapter somewhat made it worth the wait.

Now before you say something; Yes, Chifuyu is a bit OOC, but there's a good reason for it, and I hope some of you have already figured it out with all these hints I've been dropping.

Chifuyu aside, I did my best to fit in plenty of comedy here, since I do feel like I've been lacking it since chapter 1. I'm having a hard time deciding on which scene I liked better, either Scott locking Cecilia out and getting her to obey him, or when Ran sacked him. I don't know, you guys tell me which scene you liked most out of the non-canon scenes I made. It doesn't have to be the comdic ones only, it could be the torture one if you're into that sort of thing :P.

Speaking of torture scenes, I also have been dropping subtle hints there. I'd give you a hint on how to find the hints, but that'd ruin the fun.

 **TalonAlpha3 -** I do see how it reminds you of the Avengers, and I'm just as clueless, a part from Scott being Tony and Phoenix being JARVIS.

 **Ker** **longsj Evert Orlejov -** Well, Scott was the one to point Houki in Ichika's direction so he felt responsible for their mishap encounter. Don't worry I have plenty planned for Season 2, but first I need to set some things up, so expect 1 or 2 chapters before Season 2 episode 1.

 **dicarten-ice -** The mood had to be lightened somehow in my opinion, and I wish I came up with one similar to **Talon's**. But I'm glad you liked it.

 **ARSLOTHES -** Welcome aboard the train, our destination is despair- I mean paradise and happiness. Nonetheless, glad to have you aboard and enjoying the ride.

I think that's all for now. Fav, follow, review if you wish. Peace!


	9. In a Time of Need

I'm back with the start of well I guess I'd call it Season 1.5. Now before you get on to reading the story I have chosen this chapter to be my entry for the Writer's Anonymous Challenge, which is the Character Development Challenge. For those of you who are coming from that topic, please note that the first two segments of this chapter are for the challenge, skip the third otherwise it'll leave you confused since this is chapter 9 of my story. And judges, please be merciful because my Character Development entry is quite subjective.

"Talking"

 _"Thoughts"_

* * *

 **In a Time of Need**

* * *

It's been nearly six weeks since Hugh was kidnapped and four since Scott found out, yet they still haven't been able to find him.

Scott was awake in his bed in the dorm rooms. He laid in his bed with his sheets covering everything but his head as he looked out the window. It was dark out still despite the faint blue sky marking the start of the morning. The sun still hadn't come out, but Scott was wide awake. He had barely slept. The boy had a sad, depressed look on his face. It's felt like an eternity to him since he found out about his father's disappearance, and has been the only thing on his mind lately.

To think he hadn't checked in with his father since he entered the academy. It seemed selfish. Scott felt he should've stayed in contact with his Dad, but with everything that had been going on in the academy he didn't even think about it, and he regretted that mistake. He regretted it deeply, because for all he knew his father could be dead, and Scott couldn't do anything about it.

He turned his head from the window and glanced up at his alarm clock which read five A.M. He slowly got up from his bed and walked over to his closet, opened it and took out his casual clothing. Scott walked back over to the bed to change then retracted the divider and left the room.

It was too early for the cafeteria to be open as the sky only started to become a lighter shade of blue, so he left the Academy and boarded the monorail. While on the train he watched the lifeless streets below as he rested his chin on a hand lazily. Seeing the empty streets reminded him of his hometown neighbourhood. It was a friendly place that didn't have very many visitors pass through it. The thought brought some happy memories back, to which Scott smiled. Except the smile was short-lived because all those happy memories made Scott feel even worse. How could he be happy when his father is out in the world somewhere, most likely being tortured if not dead.

Scott shook his head to clear the thoughts as he got up from his seat and waited in front of one of the monorail doors as he held onto one of the ceiling handles. The stop was close and he was the only one in the train cart he was on. When the door opened he let go of the handle and walked out of the train with his hands in his pockets.

For a midsummer morning, it was a nice temperature. There was a cool breeze out with small clouds dotting the still dark morning sky. Scott looked around and only saw a few handfulls of people. Guess that's what to expect early in the morning.

He started walking forward into the shopping district in front of him. He needed food, the long night made him hungry so Scott started looking for a cafe or restaurant that's open. Normally he would be enjoying himself as he explored the district, but instead a small content smile painted on his face, he had a lifeless expression. One with emptiness and sorrow. He wanted to find his father, but Chifuyu wouldn't let him for it was deemed too dangerous since his whereabouts were unknown. The woman has been keeping tabs on him since then thinking he's next in line. Scott was aware of this, which was why he has been avoiding his friends lately. He didn't want them to get involved in a conflict that has nothing to do with them. He even kept the news from them, and he assumed Chifuyu did too since none of them seemed to be suspicious of his behaviour... yet.

For the past two weeks Scott has been doing his best to avoid his friends, so he could try and deal with his problems. He needed to find out where his father was and who took him, but even with Phoenix monitoring the data going in and out of the school servers for the past four weeks nothing has come up. This only served to further worry Scott and drive him deeper into depression.

Hugh hadn't been like a normal father, he would act more like a close friend of Scott's rather than his Dad. That attitude brought them closer together, because Scott felt like he could share most things with him. Even with the daily training and strict school quota his father gave him, Scott enjoyed every moment with his father.

Scott continued walking along the walkway in the shopping district. He glanced up to look at a restaurant, but then brought his head back down and continued his search. For a saturday morning the restaurant he looked at was too crowded for him. Scott continued walking along until he bumped into someone and fell backwards. The man above him outstretched a hand to help Scott back up as he was saying something, but Scott ignored the hand and got up on his own, then continued walking not bothering to apologize.

All he wanted was to be left alone.

~~~Later~~~

Scott was sitting at a table in the corner of a small cafe eating a sandwich he bought along with a cup of coffee he ordered. It was nearing noon, and he just stared out the window of the cafe and watched the people walking by. There were all kinds of people out and about. He saw couples walking by, groups of teens goofing off as they checked out nearby stores, and parents with their children. He observed the kids run around as their parents chased after them. They ran around with big smiles on their faces. Everyone he saw had some form of a smile on their face as they enjoyed life.

Scott suddenly felt something cold touch his shirt. He brought a hand up to his face and felt tears run down it.

It took him a few seconds to realize why he was crying. He missed his family, his mother, and his father. Both of them made him feel complete, they always kept him happy. He remembered all the times they had fun together, whether if it were a family movie or when they brought him to the playground near their house and played for hours on end. He loved those memories as fuzzy as they may be.

But all those happy moments ended when his mother died. In that moment his world was turned upside down. After his mother died and he finally excepted that she was gone he went back to school. Though when he got back it seemed all the students and teachers knew the story. All his peers who knew of his birthdate came to the conclusion his was a bad luck since his mother died on the night of his birthday. That lead to all the kids avoiding, even his closest friends left him one by one. The teachers and parents tried explaining it wasn't Scott's fault for his mother's death, but the children were too stubborn to listen. So his father and him then moved to a new city and started a new life shortly after she died. And with the new beginning was the beginning of Scott's first year in middle school. His father had hoped he would make new friends, but Scott didn't want a repeat of the past so he secluded himself from the other kids. He was afraid of making new friends just to have them leave again, and as a result he became a shut-in who focused on studying. Overtime he started occupying himself with technology, learning many different sciences and maths since he had no friends to hang out with. That was one of the few upsides to his new attitude, he nourished his already talented brain. But it didn't really help with his loss. He still felt empty, and Scott's relationship with his father was also hurt in the process. He stayed inside his room most of the time, and he'd only come out to eat or train with his father. The trip he took with his father to attend the science fairs was his father's idea and Scott accepted. From there he managed to rebuild his relationship with his father over the month they spent together.

Things changed after the science fair. From there he met Luca and made his dream come true. After that he joined the IS Academy and met Ichika. Through him Scott met all the girls, Cecilia, Laura, Rin, Charlotte, and Houki who all cared for him. They filled the hole in his heart. Even if they were immature at times, he enjoyed every bit of time he spent with the gang. It was the first time in three years he had friends and missed that feeling. That feeling of knowing that someone other than your family cares for you wholeheartedly.

But four months later and his father got kidnapped. Scott's mind couldn't handle the news. He wanted to save his father, but he was injured at the time and had no clue where he was taken or who took him. He would've run off on a wild goose chase if Chifuyu didn't stop him. He didn't know why, but she could somehow ease his mind. She managed to back when the Gospel went wild, and when she broke the news to him that his father was kidnapped.

After a while though, his thoughts started eating away at him on the inside. He couldn't help but compare what was happening now to back then. His father was kidnapped, and he could be dead for all Scott knows. The thought terrified him. To not only lose his mother at eleven, but his father at fifteen, four years later. He couldn't stand it that he began to lose motivation and interest in the world. At first he started skipping out on training a few times a week. Then he started staying inside the dorm room, and passing up every chance to hang out with the gang with an excuse each time. He didn't want to hurt them, he felt it was best that he stayed away. Whatever it was, whoever was around him would end up getting hurt. What was happening now proves that, and the last thing he wanted was for one of his friends to be the next victim.

All this time he kept his emotions bottled up, and avoided contact with the gang, but seeing the people on the streets walking by with smiles on their faces took him over the edge. He could no longer hold it in, so he sat at his seat and silently cried his heart out.

An hour went by and the waitress and came over, "Is everything alright sir?"

Scott did his best to wipe his tears away and waved a hand, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just remembered something important to me."

"Alright, if you need anything I'm always happy to help," she said before bowing and leaving.

Scott quickly finished his coffee, left the change for his check on the table and exited the cafe. It was in the afternoon, and the place was busy compared to when he first arrived. He started walking around aimlessly again, occasionally checking out some of the stores, but didn't bother to buy anything. He just left a store when he heard someone call out his name.

"Scott!"

He turned around and saw Ichika, Cecilia, and Houki all running towards him. He wanted to move, to do something, but the shock of them finding him had him stuck in place.

"What are you guys doing here?" Scott asked coldly.

"We were worried about you. You ran off before Ichika woke up, so we went looking for you. What's with you?" Houki inquired as she crossed her arms, slightly annoyed with his tone.

"I didn't think it was necessary for me to check in every morning with you guys," Scott replied as he turned his back and continued walking.

Ichika grabbed his shoulder to stop him, "What's going on?"

"What's going on?" Scott reiterated to himself. "What's going on is none of your concern. Now leave me be."

"Scott, if you would just tell us we could help. If it's a burden you're carrying, we could help carry it with you," Cecilia said.

Scott laughed a little from her statement, "I guess you could say it's a burden, but it's much more than that, and I'd rather solve it on my own."

"You don't need to solve problems on your own anymore. We're your friends, we can help. You helped me when I blamed myself for Ichika's injuries when the Gospel attacked. It's time I repaid that kindness." Houki reasoned.

"You don't get it!" Scott said through gritted teeth. "What's going on is not your problem to solve. I know you're willing to help, but I'm the problem. I'm only going to get you hurt, so leave me be!"

"How could you be the problem? You've done nothing but help us when we doubted ourselves. If you doubt yourself, we're here to help," Ichika explained.

Moments went by before Scott turned his head around, "You don't understand what's going on. If you stay near me," he paused briefly to remove Ichika's hand, "I fear you will only get hurt in the end. It's best I stay away from now on." The next moment Scott was gone, he teleported. They looked around to try and spot him in the crowd, but he was gone. What shocked them the most was his expression. He was crying, they had never seen him cry. He's always been so mature, and collected that they never seen him cry. But a few moments ago he looked broken, like whatever was troubling him was tearing him apart on the inside.

* * *

Scott was sitting in a dark alley at night as he pulled his legs closer, burying his face in them. He didn't want to push them away, but to him it felt it was best if he did. Whoever took his father might be watching him, and if that was the case they might target one of his friends next. Scott wouldn't be able to live with himself if he was the reason a friend of his was taken. So he was doing his best to push all the people close to him away.

Scott couldn't handle the fear he was feeling. He was doing his best to hide it, but the thoughts that ran through his mind scared him. In his mind there were hundreds of scenarios where things went wrong. Where his world was shattered in one way or another, but all of them had one thing in common; it was his fault. It was his fault for jumping the gun, or his fault for not doing things right, or his fault for not being there.

He just sat underneath a small overhang and cried in sorrow. He swore he wouldn't let his emotions get the best of him ever again when he lost his mother, but there he was crying because he couldn't take it. Because he was scared. Because he didn't want anyone to get hurt.

"Why is it always me? Why must I be punished. I never did anything wrong. I've done my best to live a happy life since my mother died, and now that I am someone has to come along and ruin that too?" Scott questioned to himself in between his sobs.

"Are you going to continue to rot away in depression?" A voice called out from above.

Scott lifted his head up to see Chifuyu standing above him with her arms crossed and very unhappy expression plastered on her face.

"What does it matter to you? It's not like you're my guardian, so why should you care," Scott said as he brought his head back to his knees.

"No, but I am your teacher and I'm responsible for the safety of my students throughout their school year," Chifuyu replied in a stern voice. "I've let this attitude of yours go on long enough, but hurting your friends because you can't handle your own emotions is not acceptable."

"I lost my mother at eleven! And for all I know my father could be dead!" Scott said as he grit his teeth while getting up, "How do you know how I feel! You never lost your parents!-" Scott shouted before being abruptly slapped in the face.

Scott didn't expect Chifuyu to do that as he held a hand up to his burning face. He looked back at Chifuyu and saw that she was having a hard time controlling her own emotions. She had her head down and her face was shrouded in a shadow, "Don't you dare talk to me about losing your parents. My parents abandoned me and Ichika when I was a younger age than you," Chifuyu said as she lifted her head up and glared at Scott, "I had to find a way to attend school and take care of Ichika at the same time, while giving him a good life. So don't talk to me about losses. You had two loving parents, and one that is still around. Be grateful for what you have, because others may not be as fortunate as you."

Scott could see a hint of sadness in her eyes as she glared at him, like she knew all too well what he was going through. He continued to stare into her eyes as he held his cheek, not caring about how much pain his face was in at the moment. He couldn't even think of what to say. He didn't know she had to raise Ichika on her own. He didn't know her parents left them, and there he was acting like a child throwing a tempertantrum because he can't find his father. All he could think was how ignorant and selfish he was being. Scott was taking his emotions out on his friends, who didn't even know the current situation, which was being unfair to them. He was so torn about his father's disappearance that he became blind to other people's feelings. He only cared for his own, and how he was going to find his father.

"I-"

"I don't want to hear it! You've said enough," Chifuyu cut him off, "You're coming with me, back to the Academy whether you like it or not." She grabbed him by the collar and started dragging Scott as he lowered his head in shame, dozing off.

* * *

It was dark out as Hugh looked up at the glass ceiling of the building he was trapped in. The glass ceiling was old, dirty and broken but it still gave him a sense of time. He had some bandages around him as his captors were doing their best to keep the broken man alive. Ever since they showed him pictures of his son they've been more brutal. Doing their best to break him, make him spill everything about his work, but Hugh refused to. They had stepped up their game and began with more painful methods. Hugh was now missing all his toenails and some of his teeth. They even slashed one of his eyes in an attempt to make him confess. He had slash marks from knives all over his chest and his back was bloody from all the lashes they gave in the most recetn session.

Hugh couldn't move at all, pain would shoot throughout his entire body if he tried to. He could barely see, his wounded eye was swollen and bloody. There was dried up blood all around the chair along with his torn off toenails and teeth. Dried blood was around Hugh's mouth and he was drooling slightly since his face was swollen and distorted that he couldn't close it properly.

He looked back down in front of him and was watching David rummage through a rusty, or maybe dried up bloody toolbox. He pulled out something from it as his eyes shined while looking at it. "Ah, here it is. You remember this fellow right?" David rhetorically asked as he walked back over to Hugh, his new tool in hand.

He placed it over one of Hugh's fingers and compressed the handle, then pulled upwards on it. This caused the tool to clamp onto Hugh's fingernail and pull on it, threatening to tear it off.

"Aaaargh! Aagh!" Hugh yelled in pain as David tore his fingernail off, causing blood to ooze out of his finger.

"C'mon Hugh, there's only so much pain the human body can endure before you die. Are you really going to bring your secrets to the grave with you?" David asked in a flat, annoyed tone.

Hugh grimaced, "That was the plan."

"I'd say 'It's your funeral,' but it was going to be either way in the first place," David said in a plain tone as he peeled another nail off, earning another loud cry of pain from Hugh.

Hugh couldn't laugh anymore due to the immense pain he felt if he did, "Still think you can break me?"

David sighed, "This game isn't fun if you don't beg for mercy. I've grown tired of it."

He pulled another nail off, earning a loud cry again.

"You can try all you want. I won't speak a word," Hugh said weakly.

"Yes, I can see that now," David commented as he pulled one last nail off before he went back to the table and placed the tool back in the box. "Keep an eye on him, I'll be back by tomorrow," he said to the men in the room before leaving.

* * *

That's the end of this chapter. For the lover readers who are following my story and are curious as to what the WA Challenge is, you can head over to **topic/2872/163348319/1/Game-Character-Development-Writing-Challenge-Deadline-July-31st-AND-Alternate-Format-Winner** for more info. It's a fun little game I like to play whenever a new challenge is chosen. One of my previous entries was "The Seeds of Hatred." If you'd like you can join in or cheer on the contestants, anyone is allowed to play as long as they meet the rules of the game.

Edit: The server won't save the link to the topic, but if you want to check it out go to "forum", then "general", "Writer's Anonymous", "Game: Character Development Challenge," in that order.

 **PearlTapioca, TalonAlpha3 - Man you guys are cold mofos with these assumptions XD. Talon I was drawing blanks on what to do with the game segment, but that scene in Ultron was awesome. And Pearl, glad to see I managed to make the interactions seem normal as well as** funny.

That's it for now. Fav, follow, review if you wish. Peace!


	10. In a Time of Need Part 2

Here's Part 2, so sorry for taking so long with this one. As always, life has gotten in my way and unfortunately in a big way this time T.T

Hope you guys enjoy this chapter to your hearts content.

"Talking"

 _"Thoughts"_

* * *

 **In a Time of Need Part 2**

* * *

 _Scott was looking out the window of a car as he watched the scenery change throughout the city. There were sakura trees spread across the city while their leaves were falling one by one as fall was finally setting in. Beside him was luggage, bags, and boxes full of their belongings with more in the trunk of the car. He currently had his chin resting on his hands as he gave a sad sigh. He turned around to look at the front of the vehicle where his father was, "Do we really have to leave? I like this place."_

 _"Yes, this place is no longer our home. We're moving to a new and better place," Hugh answered as he glanced in the rear view_ _mirror._

 _"But what about sis? Is she coming?" Scott asked with a hopeful look._

 _Hugh sighed, "How many times do I have to tell you she's not your actual sister. She has a family of her own, so she can't come with us. That's why we're going to see her one last time before we leave," he explained._

 _"Aww, but she's so nice. I like the candy she gives me," Scott complained as he puffed his cheeks out._

 _"That's one thing I never really liked. She would always give you a sucker or something of the sort, then your mother and I would have to deal with you bouncing off the walls for the next four hours," Hugh said under his breath._

 _The vehicle stopped and Scott looked out the window to see big buildings everywhere. He was in awe as his father opened the door for him, since he was too starstuck to do it himself. Scott stepped out of the car and saw girls all over the place, but that wasn't what had his attention. He couldn't believe the large metal structure in the center of the place._

 _A women who looked like they were in their late teens walked up to them, "What are you two doing here?" She asked._

 _Hugh rubbed the back of his neck, "We're here to say our goodbyes to you. We're moving away, due to a number of reasons."_

 _"I see. My condolensences by the way. I'm still having a hard time myself coping with the loss of your wife Charlene."_

 _Hugh shook his head, "No need for formalities. You may not be blood, but we've always seen you as a sort of daughter to us. This little guy still think you're his actual sister," he explained as he ruffled Scott's hair._

 _"I don't see how she isn't," Scott said as he crossed his arms, earning a laugh from Hugh._

 _"Anyways, we need to get going or we'll miss our flight. It was nice seeing you again kiddo," Hugh said as he hugged the woman._

 _"You do realize I'm nearly twenty right?" She said as she returned the hug._

 _"I know, but you'll always be a kid to me."_

 _"Will you be staying in touch?" The woman inquired as they both let go._

 _"I wish I could, but as things stand I doubt we will," Hugh replied._

 _"No worries, I understand."_

 _Scott walked up to her and hugged her, "See you sis. I'm going to miss you."_

 _She hugged him back as she smiled, "As much as I enjoy hearing that name, your father is right. I'm no real sister, but I sure have felt like one ever since I met you."_

 _"I don't care. You'll always be a sister in my books," Scott replied as he let go of her._

* * *

Scott slowly opened his eyes to find himself looking at a brown ceiling... That was the same girl from his other dream, except she was older. But her features were fuzzy in the dream, and a name wasn't given either. Why was he seeing her? Was there a significance to it?

He got up from the bed he was laying on and looked around to see he was in a bedroom. It wasn't his, that was for sure. He was so worn out from all the crying that he couldn't remember most of last night. From what he could recollect was that he was crying when Chifuyu found him. From there they got into an argument, he lost after pissing her off and then was dragged home.

Scott got off the bed he was on and tried figuring out whose room this was. It's possible that it was Chifuyu's, but why would she bring him to hers?

He walked up to the dresser near the bed and found a book with pages marked. Scott took it and opened it up to the first marked page, on it there was a word underlined, 'Photo.' He flipped to the next page and another word was underlined, 'Canvas,' the next one was, 'Lock.'

He put the book back down and opened up the top drawer and found underwear in it. It wasn't women's underwear so the room couldn't be Chifuyu's. Scott took a quick look around the room again as he scratched his head.

The room was comprised of a bed, nightstand, closet, and dresser in one corner. In another corner there was a painting of a red firey bird. In front of it was a rocking chair, and beside that was a small wood stove for fires. Beside the only door in the room was a bookshelf and lamp.

Scott didn't want to intrude any further so he shut the drawer and headed for the door. When he tried opening it, it didn't budge. It was locked. He checked his pockets to see if Chifuyu left a key for him, but there was nothing in them, all his belongings were gone.

"Phoenix, what's going?" Scott asked.

No response. He checked to see if the earpiece was still there. It was also gone. This worried Scott as he looked down at his chest to see if the necklace was still around his neck, but it was also missing.

"What?! Come on Chifuyu this isn't funny. Why did you take my IS?" Scott said to himself.

Scott tried opening the door again while he used his shoulder and body weight to break the lock but it wouldn't budge.

He went over to the rocking chair and sat down on it, "Why the hell am I locked inside a random room?"

A few minutes went by before he got up again, "Come on Chifuyu, let me out. I need to change and shower. I know you can hear me." But there was no response. It only further annoyed Scott.

He started pacing back and forth, "Okay, so I'm locked inside a room. Chifuyu isn't answering and I have no IS, no comminucation with Phoenix or anyone for that matter. Great."

Scott went back over to the dresser and started rummaging through the contents. As he was going through the clothes he realised they were his, _"Why is my clothing here?"_

Not only were they his clothing, but it was all semi-formal or formal. They even had the jacket, socks and shoes as formal. Why did they only give him formal clothing?

Scott dropped his clothing and went back to the door and started banging on it, "Hey, let me out now! I want to know why my clothing is in here! And why I'm here in the first place! Or why you took Phoenix from me!"

After a while he stopped banging on the door, took the rocking chair and swung it at the door shattering the small chair into pieces. Scott scratched his head as he nervously laughed, "Well, I wasn't expecting it to break that easily."

Scott sighed as he started looking through the books on the shelf, _"There must be a key somewhere."_ As he was looking through the books he found a photo. It was of him and the gang all in their IS suits, but there were red circles on the photo. The circles marked their IS standby modes. Scott took the photo, closed the book and placed it back where he got it.

He walked back over to the dresser and placed the photo on it, then looked towards the closet. Scott walked over and open it to find out it was a small bathroom. Inside it had a shower and everything, including shampoo and conditioner. Scott scratched his head in confusion, _"I guess it wouldn't hurt to take a shower while I'm here."_

~~~Later~~~

Scott came out of the bathroom wearing a black bellissimo suit with purple silk lining on the inside, along with a red button up dress shirt and white bellissimo tie. He kept the jacket off as it would get too hot with it on, and went to lay on the bed.

Thinking back to what Chifuyu told him the night before, Scott could see her reasoning. He was being selfish to keep his friends out of the loop and take ou his emotions on them. It was also careless, as well as childish, of him to run off and hide whenever he didn't want to talk to anyone.

Acting cold towards his friends and telling them they couldn't help was rude. All they wanted to do was help him, but he refused to take their kindness and pushed them away. Not only that, but being so enveloped with his father's disappearance and thinking he was being treated unfairly by the world was another selfish thing to do. When he thought about it, there must be plenty of other people who have lost their parents at younger ages than him, or never had any to begin with. So crying over it wasn't going to help. If anything he should grateful that he still has a father, and be doing everything he can to find him.

But for now Scott needed to get out of the room, so he decided to look over everything he found, which was a book with marked pages and a photo of the gang with all their IS' circled. There wasn't much in the room either. But what bothered him was the painting of the red firey bird, it was like Chifuyu was teasing him. She knew his IS was a Phoenix and she took him away, then replaced it with a painting to mock him. One part of him found it amusing, but another part was a little annoyed.

He just wanted his IS back, then he could blow the door down. But by the way things are, it doesn't seem like Chifuyu was going to allow that.

Scott read over the words in the book again, _"Photo, Canvas, and Lock..."_ He then looked at the photo, trying to figure out what to do. _"Why are our IS standby modes circled?... Does it have to do with mine?"_

He then looked at the painting again, _"Wait, our IS' are marked in the photo and my IS is a Phoenix. And there's a Phoenix painting in the room..."_ Scott thought as he got up from the bed. He walked over to the painting and lifted it from it's hook. Behind it was a small safe. _"Well, what do you know._ "

The only problem was that it needed a five digit pin code, something Scott doesn't have. He looked around the room again, and noticed the bookshelf has a different number of books on each shelf. He didn't think anything of it before because he didn't know it was for a pin code. He looked at the shelves and the order from top to bottom was nine, five, seven, and twelve; twelve being one and two. Scott entered the code and it opened.

Lone behold his pendant was inside along with a key, which he assumed was for the door. He put the pendant around his neck, grabbed the key and his jacket then went to open the door. What he didn't expect was for it to be a pitch black room.

Scott put his jacket on and buttoned the bottom button, "Hello? Anybody there?" He called out in the darkness. No response.

"Hello?..." He called out again. This time he heard movement and got into a defensive stance.

The next moment the lights turned on and he was blinded by it, followed by being showered with confetti, "Happy Birthday!" Everyone yelled.

Scott looked around after his eyes adjusted and saw the whole gang was here. Chifuyu and Maya were standing behind the kids as they all smiled at him.

Scott was left in shock, "I- Wha- how did you?-"

Chifuyu walked up to him, "I told them about what's been going on. Once they found out about the truth they understood why you were acting the way you were. You're lucky, because if I were your friend I would not have been so forgiving. I find it selfish of you to hide your father's disappearance from them."

Scott stood there processing the situation, "That may be so, but I would've thought you would tell them."

"Oh, and why is that?"

"Because you informed me personally. I would've thought you would do the same with them," Scott explained.

"I informed you because it was my duty, it's not my business to tell your friends about it. That's your job," Chifuyu corrected.

Scott gave a small defeated laugh, "I guess that's true." He then looked around and saw there was a buffet and booth. "So who told them about my birthday?" Scott asked as he looked towards Chifuyu with knowing eyes.

"You know the answer to that," Chifuyu replied.

He looked down as unhappy memories came back, "Yeah, I'm not really a fan of celebrating my birthday."

"Haven't been for four years now," Chifuyu said as she looked at Scott.

"You know about that?" He inquired.

"Of course. Enough with the depressing talk and go make up," Chifuyu said as she gently pushed him towards his friends who were all waiting.

Scott walked up to the gang while he rubbed the back of his head, "Look, I'm sorry for treating you guys poorly for the past two or three weeks. I meant no harm, I just felt it was best I stayed away and dealt with my problems on my own."

"You surprised me yesterday. I had never seen you cry that I was starting to think you never do," Houki commented with a smile.

"Yeah, you caught us off guard with that," Ichika chimed in.

"It doesn't surprise me, everyone cries at some point. Some people just pretend to be strong," Cecilia said as she turned her head with a humph.

"Oh, so now we're going to make fun of me, huh," Scott laughed.

"You deserve it for making us worry," Rin said.

"I personally didn't hold a grudge against you, but I do admit I was a little worried," Laura commented.

"Quit it Laura, none of us held it against him. We were all worried," Charlotte scolded the platinum girl.

"So how did you all set this up?" Scott asked out of curiosity.

"We had Miss Orimura and Miss Yamada let us use a maintenance elevator and created a bedroom out of it," Houki explained.

"And what about the clothing. I noticed it was all mine," Scott inquired.

Charlotte sheepishly put her hand up, "I hope you don't mind that I was the one who chose the clothing."

Scott's mouth was agape, "You... went through all my clothing?!"

"Oh no, I only went through your formal clothing. I didn't choose the underwear, that was Ichika," Charlotte explained.

Scott gave a slight sigh of relief, "That's fine."

Houki walked up to him and fixed his collar as she smiled at him, "You don't have bad taste either. From all the clothing she chose you could've done better, but this looks good."

"You helped her?"

"No, I just watched," Houki replied.

"By the way Scott, you seem to have some expensive clothing. How can you afford it?" Cecilia asked.

"With the payments I get monthly for being a Representative Candida- Wait, how would you know I have expensive clothing?" Scott asked suspiciously.

Cecilia laughed nervously, "I uh, may have been with Charlotte and Houki at the time when they were picking out your clothes."

Scott then turned to the other two girls, "I'm assuming you were also there," he accused Rin and Laura, who both nodded in embarrassment, "Shocking," Scott said with a deadpanned look. He then turned to Ichika with his arms crossed and an acussing look, "And I'm assuming you didn't do much to stop them from all looking."

Ichika rubbed the back of his head, "I tried stopping the others, but they all barged in. It was only suppose to be Charlotte."

"My point exactly," Scott said, unfolding his arms, moving on from the topic, "By the way, how come I'm the only one in formal clothing? I feel awkward being the only one."

"We thought it was best for the birthday boy to have the best clothing on," Rin replied. "We all would've worn something formal, but we agreed to let you shine tonight."

"What do you mean tonight? Isn't it day?"

"Oh no, you've been asleep all day. We were kind of surprised, so to pass time by the kids all made food for your party," Miss Yamada explained.

"I've been asleep all day! Why didn't anybody wake me up?!" Scott asked in surprise.

"Well that would've ruined the fun," Houki replied. "Speaking of which, how did you like our little game we set up for you?"

Scott scratched his head before he turned to Houki with a sheepish grin, "I wouldn't exactly say it was fun, but it was refreshing. It gave me time to think over my actions."

Rin's stomach grumbled causing her to slap Scott in the back to hide her embarrassment, "Enough with the talking. Let's eat."

Scott walked over to the buffet with the gang and looked at all the delicious food. Just looking at it all made his mouth water. There was Rin's sweet and sour pork with peppers, Houki's fried fish with rice. Charlotte made Chicken Basquaise, and Laura made simple baked potatoes with steamed vegetables. Ichika made Sashimi with sides of wasabi, ginger, and soy sauce. There was also assorted sandwiches that were neatly stacked on a plater that Scott assumed Cecilia made.

Seeing her previous attempt at cooking made Scott doubt her ability to cook, but the sandwiches looked like they would taste delicious. Maybe she just had a bad stroke of luck that night. He took one and saw the gang's faces turn grim like they didn't want him to eat it. On the other hand, Cecilia looked overjoyed that someone was about to eat her food.

Scott shrugged as he took a bite before his face turned blue. It was a simple eggsandwich, but it tasted so bitter.

"So, how is it?" Cecilia inquired with a curious and hopeful expression.

Scott sweatdropped. He didn't want to hurt her feelings, but he also didn't want to lie about her cooking. He looked over at his other friends for help, but they all shook their heads telling him he's on his own.

Scott swallowed the bite, closed his eyes and placed a hand on Cecilia's shoulder as he forced a smile to show his gratitude, "I don't mean to be rude, and I'm thankful you wanted to make something for my birthday dinner, but... your food is terrible."

Cecilia's face became confused and irritated as her previous look was shattered, "What do you mean terrible?! I worked very hard to make that food!" She growled angrily.

Scott went pale from her tone of voice, "Cecilia, I think it's best if you try it for yourself," he suggested while slowly backing away to avoid being hit.

Cecilia was furious. She walked towards Scott, her glare becoming more menacing with each second, "You'll understand what I'm saying once you do. I'm not doing this just to annoy you, honest," Scott pleaded. "Guys, help me out here!" He begged as he turned to the others, but they all shook their heads.

"You got yourself into this mess, you should be able to get out of it on your own," Houki answered with her arms crossed and eyes closed as she nodded her head.

"I agree with Houki. Scott can do this on his own," Charlotte chimed in as she held Ichika back.

"Come on guys, we can't just leave him. It's his birthday," Ichika reasoned while trying to get to Cecilia so he could calm her down.

"I feel bad for the guy. Her cooking's appearance is deceiving," Rin said as she watched Scott fend off Cecilia with a chair.

Laura shook her head in disagreement, "He ignored our warnings, and this is what he gets for such actions."

Cecilia deployed her BIT and destroyed the chair Scott was using, "Are you telling me I can't cook? That I, Cecilia Alcott, the daughter of a wealthy and noble family, can't cook?!" She asked furiously.

Scott was sweating bullets as he was backed into a corner, "Um, is it okay if I say yes?" He inquired as he closed his eyes to get ready for the worst.

"No, I will not allow someone to mock me!" Cecilia answered as she fired off her BIT at the poor guy, who peeked an eye open.

Scott teleported behind Ichika and shoved him forward as he cowered behind Charlotte, "The girls aren't going to help, but you will right? I don't know how to deal with an angry Cecilia, so calm her down for me will you?"

"What?! Me?! I didn't say that!" Ichika exclaimed as Cecilia had him surrounded with her BITs.

"You did suggest we help him," Houki commented.

Rin nodded her head in agreement, "She has a point Ichika."

"I said _we_ should help Scott, not _I_. There's a difference!"

"Thanks Ichika, you're a life saver. Literally," Scott said. He crossed his heart and then started praying, "May we meet in the next life."

Ichika sweatdropped as he looked towards his friend, "Don't make it sound like I'm going to die!"

"So, you're going to take the beating for Scott?" The British girl asked rhetorically.

Ichika turned to Cecilia and shook his head furiously, "No! I get punished enough on a daily basis, it's time Scott took a turn!"

"Sorry Ichika, I tapped out already; you can't tap out now."

Cecilia charged up her BITs and was about to fire when Chifuyu stepped in, "That's enough. Nobody's going to die tonight."

Ichika dropped to his knees and sighed in relief, "Oh thank you Chifuy-"

Chifuyu whacked Ichika in the head, "It's still Miss Orimura to you."

Cecilia dismissed her BITs and grunted in annoyance as she crossed her arms, "I don't get why everyone hates my cooking."

Chifuyu walked over to the platter of sandwiches and took one, then walked back over to Cecilia with it, "I personally wouldn't try it based off of everyone else's comments, but for you to understand why, you'd need to see for yourself," she explained while handing the sandwich to the blonde girl.

Cecilia looked at it before taking a bite. Her face immediately turned blue from it, and went for a napkin to spit it out, "My word, that was horrific. Why didn't anybody tell me my cooking was this bad?"

Everyone save the teachers and Scott dropped to floor and started twitching, "I literally just told you a few minutes ago and you tried killing me for it," Scott said with a deadpanned look.

"You, she tried killing you? You bailed and threw me at her!" Ichika complained as he got up.

"You did say you would help him," Charlotte commented.

"How come you're all on his side now?!"

Scott wrapped his arm around his friends neck and pulled him in, "Ichika, I believe they're trying to be Switzerland."

"But Switzerland was neutral! They're being fickle!"

"I know, that's why it's not working, but I do appreciate the support girls. Go team allies!" Scott said in a joking manner.

"Doesn't that mean I'm your enemy?" Laura asked.

Scott froze in position as he thought about, "... Huh, I guess it does. Whatever I'll make an exception, it's not like all the germans were bad." Then his eyes lit up in realisation, "Oh shoot, that means, Houki and Ichika are enemies as well," He put a hand to his chin as he was thinking, "Me, Charlotte, Cecilia, and Rin versus Laura, Houki, and Ichika. That'd be an interesting fight, but I think we all know who'd win though," Scott said with a grin.

"It would obviously be my team," Houki commented with her arms crossed and a confident look on her face.

"You think you're better than England?!" Cecilia growled as she shot a glare towards Houki, who returned it, "Not to brag, but I'm already an A class pilot," Houki replied.

This irritated Cecilia even further. The two were so close together that they were almost butting heads as they gave each other the nastiest glares they could muster, "Want me to show you who truly is the better pilot in an IS battle?" Cecilia threatened.

"Bring it! I'll take you out before you even land a hit," Houki replied with confidence.

Scott squeezed in between the two as he pushed them away from each other, "I know you girls like to brag about who's the strongest in front of you know who, but now's not the time, so could you cool it?"

"Why?! This girl needs to be put in her place for mocking my country!" Cecilia said angrily while trying to claw at Houki.

Houki on the other hand let Scott keep her at bay while she had a small grin on her face, "Someone who can't keep their cool before the battle has even begun doesn't have a chance of winning."

Scott turned Houki with an annoyed look, "Instigating isn't going to help the situation."

"Scott, get out of my way. She needs to learn who is the superior pilot!" Cecilia growled. She seemed to have stopped her attempts to claw Houki but she was still furious and ready to attack. The brown haired boy turned his head over to Cecilia, "I understand your distaste at the moment, but fighting won't solve anything."

Rin was standing in front of the small crowd watching as she gave an amused smile, "That's putting it lightly."

"Rin, you're not helping," Scott replied before looking back at the two girls he was in between.

"Why are you trying to stop us anyway? You've never cared about our arguments before," Houki inquired with curiousity.

"Yeah!" Cecilia chimed in.

"Because I'd rather not see two friends tear each other to shreds over pride and ego for their countries at the moment," Scott answered as he put his arms down.

Cecilia and Houki were slightly irritated by what he was implying, "You think I can't take her on?" They both asked.

"No. It's ju-"

"Just that we're not strong enough?!" Cecilia cut him off with an assumption.

"No!" Scott replied in an irritated tone, "Are you trying to piss me off?" He asked rhetorically while he glared Cecilia.

"My, it seems I've poked the bird a bit too much," Cecilia taunted in amusement, seeing as she was getting on his nerves again.

He put down his arms and moved closer to Cecilia so he was in front of her, "You keep poking and I'll claw your eyes out with my talons," Scott threatened as he completely lost his cool.

Houki had a skeptical look on her face as she watched the two glare at each other, "Are you sure about this Scott? If I were to face her, the winner would be clear, but you?... No offense, but that's a bit of a stretch."

Scott wasn't in the mood to be doubted or mocked, "So, you think I can't take her on myself?" He asked while turning to her.

"I meant no offense. It's just based of pilot ranking she's an A class while you're B class," Houki explained.

"Well it sounded like you meant a little bit of it." He crossed his arms, clearly annoyed and angry. "How bout this, you both can fight me together and if you win I'll admit you're better, regardless of rank. Or if you want to try your luck, you can both take a turn to fight me in a one on one battle."

Both girls burst out in laughter while the other girls who were watching the argument did too. Ichika and Maya had skeptical expressions as they were worried Scott was in over his head. Cecilia wiped a tear from her eyes as she caught her breath, "Have you gone delusional? You're only a B class pilot, and you challenged two A class pilots into a two versus one duel?"

"I'm going to have to agree with Cecilia on this one, Scott," Houki chimed in as she too caught her own breath.

Scott had a grin plastered on his face, "By all means decline the battle if you think you can't win."

His grin and taunt rubbed both girls the wrong way as they grit their teeth in annoyance. Houki turned to Cecilia, "I think we need to teach him a lesson to not mock us," she said as she held a hand out.

Cecilia took hold of it and grinned, "Just this once am I going to team up with you, so we can prove a point to him."

Chifuyu had a grin on her face, amused by Scott's not only boldness to challenge them both, but also his ability to taunt them into teaming up. "Alright, that's enough you three. Let's just eat and have fun for now. We can hold the match at a later date," Chifuyu suggested.

* * *

Scott took a plate and filled it with some sashimi, wasabi, soy sauce, and Rin's pork. The rest of them chose their preferred dishes while trying some of the others food as well.

Once everyone filled their respective plates, they all went to sit at the booth as the teachers started filling their own plates. Houki, Cecilia, and Scott all calmed down from their earlier argument.

"Scott, how come you felt the need to step in when Cecilia and Houki were fighting earlier? Normally you let them figure it out on their own," Charlotte asked out of curiousity.

In response, Scott gave a small sigh as he looked at Chifuyu who nodded her head, "The reason is because today is my birthday..." He paused briefly before continuing.

The french girl didn't fully understand his point so she continued to ask, "Meaning?"

"Meaning today is also the day my mother died... exactly four years ago," Scott answered before slightly lowering his head as he continued to eat.

Everyone in the room excluding Miss Orimura was shocked at this news. All the girls had covered their mouths in shock. "So you didn't want the girls having petty fights at the moment because right now is a really depressing time for you?" Ichika asked.

"Correct. Not only am I being reminded today is the day my mother died, but my father is also missing at the moment. So I'm not in the mood to see people fight right now, especially my friends," Scott said in a somber tone. He liffed his head up with a faint smile on his face, "But let's forget about that for now and enjoy this delicious dinner you all cooked for me."

* * *

The next morning Scott was walking down a corridor of the school when Cecilia came and started walking alongside him. Scott turned his slightly towards her, "To what do I owe this visit?" He asked.

Cecilia shook her head, "Nothing in particular. I just wanted to know if you were okay: I didn't want to have another one of your breakdown incidents like you did the other day in the streets," Cecilia explained in a somewhat serious tone.

Scott laughed in amusement, "So you take me for the emotional type now?"

Cecilia on the other hand didn't find it funny, therefore she turned her head away from Scott and didn't reply to his comment.

He caught this and cleared his throat, "Anyways, you're correct to assume that. I've always been the emotional type. The only reason I'm seem so collected to you all is because of three years of solitude and endless studying in middleschool."

This caught Cecilia's attention, "And why is that?"

Scott rubbed the back of his neck as he tried thinking of a way to lie, or at least stretch the truth, "It's because I loved the academic subjects in school so much I poured all of my time into them that I had no time for socializing or hanging out with classmates after school."

Cecilia gave him a weird look before letting it go, "So what are your plans for today?" She asked in a curious tone.

"I didn't any besides going into town," Scott replied as he looked down at the blonde girl.

"What are you going to do once you get there?"

"I never thou-"

 _"Scott, you're going to want to have a look at this," Phoenix interrupted in a serious a tone._ In response, Scott brought up a hologram and a live feed appeared in front of him. The room looked dim and he could tell that where ever it was, it needed some serious TLC. In the middle of the screen was a chair.

"Phoenix, what am I looking at?" Scott asked in concern.

Cecilia was also watching and heard Scott talking to his A.I. "This live feed is being directly broadcast to the enitre Academy from an unkown group."

Scott looked at the walls and saw no feed, "Then how come there's no feed on any of the walls?"

"Miss Orimura has blocked the feed and redirected it to the private servers as soon as it was broadcast to us. Thanks to you telling me to keep an eye on the school servers, both open and private ones I was able to find this... What bothers me is that the user ID unkown to us," Phoenix explained.

"Can you trace it back to it's origin?" Scott inquired.

"I'm already on it."

"But what exactly is it?" Cecilia asked.

"I don't know. Let's just watch and see," Scott replied as he walked over one of the walls and leaned on it.

Sometime went by before the light in the room was turned on and they could see the chair in the room was bloodstained. Scott had a stern look while Cecilia was slightly deterred from the blood.

Next, a door was heard being opened and two men appeared on screen. One was in a mercenary getup while the other one barely looked recognizable. The second man was burned, scarred, bloodied, dehydrated, weak and pale. Blood covered the majority of his body, he had cuts all over, burnd along his face and chest along with scars. He looked like he was already on death's door waiting for it to be opened. The mercenary forced the beat up man into the chair and locked his hands up to the chair. The mercenary then looked towards the camera and grinned while forcing the other man to look up.

"Why hello the there IS Academy students and staff. I'm-" The mercenary paused briefly before bursting out in laughter, "You really thought i was gonna tell you my name didn't you? That's not what is important st the moment. What's important is this man's life," The mercenary used the back of his combat knife to force the other man to look up at the camera again.

The mercenary grinned, "He look familiar?"

All this time Scott was wide-eyed and had a look of terror on his face, while Cecilia kept looking away briefly at times because it was too much for her.

"No? Oh, well his name is Hugh Stalker. That's right you heard me correctly, Hugh Stalk-er. The father of one the students attending that stupid little school of yours." The mercenary explained in a distasteful tone.

"Now, Hugh here has been incooperative with me the entire time he's been staying with me, so I taught him a lesson- over and over and over..." The man paused briefly to light a ciggerette. "But he just won't learn," the mercenary feigned a disappointed tone.

"So, it's come to my attention that A; you turn over his son to us, and we let poor Hugh go B; his son comes to us willingly and we let his father go, or C; we come to the Academy and take him by force and the father dies," The mercenary blew some smoke before continuing, "Option B is the most favourable for both parties, so I suggest that Scott comes over to us willingly. I will not be revealing my location, so you need to find us before the law enforcement does; otherwise your father is going die. If you bring anyone else with you; your father will die. If the Academy teachers interfere; your father will die. And last but not least, if you do not come; your father will die. You have two days, if you do not arrive after those two days are up, you can kiss your father goodbye... Oh, and one last thing; the longer I have to wait, the more I brutally torture your father until he dies." After that last statement the mercenary put out his cigarette butt by placing it on Hughs hand, earning a weak, painful moan. He then grabbed his combat knife, raised it in the air and brought it down, chopping one of Hughs fingers off causing him to scream in pain before the broadcast was cut off.

* * *

Hehe, like that? I sure did. But then again I can be pretty damn evil at times. Anyways, again I'm sorry for leaving you guys hanging for so long, but I'm back. I just needed to somewhat sort life out (still working on that), and get the ball rolling again.

 **Stratos263 -** He's gonna need it. Like, really need it need it.

 **TalonAlpha3 -** Oh yes, very emotional. He was definitely in turmoil like he should be, but I believe that was the first time you guys have seen Scott's inner self.

 **PearlTapioca -** Yes, he was wrong to go solo, but you also need to understand that even if he's emotional unstable at the moment his one priority other than trying to find his father is to not lose anymore people he loves which was one of the reason he pushed his friends away, despite going to far in doing it. And, sorry for making you lose your appetite while reading the torture scene; just means I'm doing my job correctly, lol.

 **Kerlongsj Evert Orlejov -** Children are really cruel at times, and Scott happened to be the one to have the cruelty taken out on him for invalid reasoning on the kids part. But as you said, in a sense, none of that cruelty was wasted as Scott is now a genius. Yay! And yes Chifuyu did have it worse xD. I'll be stopping by all of you who I'm following at the moment because tomorrow, being today September 23rd my time I'll be hunting for a week so I'll have time read all the stories I've fallen behind on. That being said I may or may not be able to write on my phone while I'm out there, depending on if I have a data connection.

 **CrimsonTheKing -** My, my, I've never been praised so much before. I'm thankful you're loving my story so far and you can continue to spectate if you so wish. As for the blue haired girl, Tatenashi, I will definitely be bringing her back in time, but she will not be a love interest :( I'm sorry about that. I've already told a couple people that already and they are kind of disappointed, but I can't please everyone now can I. But... she will definitely be egging Scott on, as in trying to "seduce" him, since her mischievousness is a part of her core personality. Also, if you haven't already, I do recommend watching the anime if you haven't already; it's cheesy at some parts, and cringy at others, but it's overall really funny and has a... heartwarming touch? I don't know, don't listen to me.

I believe that's everything. Fav, follow, review if you wish. Peace!


	11. Decisions

Aye! Here's another one for all you lovely people. Hope you enjoy!

A/N: This chapter I will be writing characters' thoughts without the quotes just to see how it turns out. Please keep this in mind when reading this chapter :)

"Talking"

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 **Decisions**

* * *

"So, it's come to my attention that A; you turn over his son to us, and we let poor Hugh go B; his son comes to us willingly and we let his father go, or C; we come to the Academy and take him by force and the father dies," The mercenary blew some smoke before continuing, "Option B is the most favourable for both parties, so I suggest that Scott comes over to us willingly. I will not be revealing my location, so you need to find us before the law enforcement does; otherwise your father is going die. If you bring anyone else with you; your father will die. If the Academy teachers interfere; your father will die. And last but not least, if you do not come; your father will die. You have two days, if you do not arrive after those two days are up, you can kiss your father goodbye... Oh, and one last thing; the longer I have to wait, the more I brutally torture your father until he dies." After that last statement the mercenary put out his cigarette butt by placing it on Hughs hand, earning a weak, painful moan. He then grabbed his combat knife, raised it in the air and brought it down, chopping one of Hughs fingers off causing him to scream in pain before the broadcast was cut off.

Scott stood still looking at where the broadcast used to be. He was filled with terror and rage. Seeing his father so broken and beat up angered him, and it was clearly visible in his eyes. He looked like he was ready to kill the man he just saw on the broadcast. "You have the coordinates of their location?" Scott asked Phoenix.

"Yes. They're based in the U.S. From the satellite view it looks like they're in an abandoned warhouse just outside of a big city," the A.I explained.

"Good," Scott said before he turned to leave.

As he started to head for the exit of the school building, Cecilia grabbed his arm to stop him. "You're not planning to go alone are you?"

"I'd say going alone is my only option, but it's not. I'd like some help from my friends and maybe Chifuyu, but knowing her; she will keep us under lock and key, especially me for the time being," Scott explained.

Just as he removed Cecilia's hand from his arm a screen popped up in front of him. It was Chifuyu, "Stalker, there's something you need to see. Come down to the control room on the-" she stopped midsentence when she looked at Scott's expression.

"You've seen the broadcast that was just shown haven't you?" She inquired with knowing eyes. In response Scott gave a nod.

The Brunhilde sighed as she put a hand on her forehead, "Alright, how did you hack into the school system and how long ago?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that," Scott replied as he started walking again, Cecilia following close behind him.

"If you're planning on going to save your father alone, don't. We don't know if there's more than just one. So we need time to think of a plan, so I forbid you from leaving the Academy grounds until then," Chifuyu explained in a serious tone.

Scott grit his teeth in annoyance and anger, "So you want me to sit back on this again?" He asked in an angry tone.

"I'm not saying you need to sit back. We just need a plan before going out to save your father. Now, come down to the control room so we can all talk. I already told the others to come," Chifuyu replied before cutting the comm.

The boy clenched his fist as he turned around and walked past Cecilia, who stopped in her tracks when she saw his expression.

* * *

In the control room, all the students with personal IS' were sitting in a circle as they looked forward at the big holograhic screen currently replaying the broadcast played earlier.

"Now, that was broadcast thirty minutes ago to the entire Academy as a clear threat to hand over Scott to them," Chifuyu said after the replay finished. Most of the girls had their mouths covered in horror and couldn't look at the screen. Chifuyu had a stern look, while Yamada had a worried look as Ichika and Scott both had angry expressions.

"Um, Miss Orimura, how come we weren't able to see the broadcast throughout the halls then?" Charlottle inquired after regaining her composure.

"That's because I had Miss Yamada block the broadcast completely from all the open school servers and redirect it to the private ones," Chifuyu explained. "It was a personal message to threaten their target," she said as she looked toward Scott, who was having a hard time being patient as he tapped his fingers against his leg while in the seiza position.

"Why would they want Scott?" Ichika asked the question everyone in the room had on their minds.

Chifuyu looked towards her little brother, thinking of something to say, "Scott's father... must have something they want, but is refusing to tell them where it is. Thus, they want Scott now, believing that he'll know."

Scott scoffed, "Like I'd ever know. My father was just a scientist, he never told me about any of his work."

"Maybe it was for good reasons," Chifuyu suggested to Scott.

"So, do we have a plan of action to save Scott's father?" Houki inquired.

"As of right now, no. Miss Yamada is currently trying to find the origin of the broadcast as we speak," the Brunhilde answered.

Scott cleared his throat as he put his hand up before speaking, "Phoenix has already found out where the mercenary is hiding," he said before bringing up a hologram in the middle of the room. "They're in an abandoned warehouse in the U.S."

After Scott brought the hologram up, the big screen behind Miss Orimura had a voice comm appear on it, "I managed to find their location before the broadcast was cut off, but without me being there I can only show the building from a satellite's view. I'd need to get closer in person with Scott, so I'd able to scan the whole building to give a reading of how many people are inside," Phoenix explained.

"Ah, Phoenix. It's been awhile," Miss Orimura said without turning around, "You must've been the one who's been watching the school servers."

"Ahem, moving on from that. I do suggest that Scott and I tag along in this rescue mission, despite Scott's personal feelings. I will be of use to the team by scanning the building, giving us all the information we need," Phoenix suggested, deliberately avoiding Chifuyu's correct assumption.

"You're correct. You would definitely help increase the success of the mission, but with Scott having personal feelings with this mission, seeing as rescuing his father is the objective, I'd have to refuse. His emotions could get in the way and jeopardize the mission. Seeing as this is a real threat, one minstake could get any of the students I send over killed," As Chifuyu said that Scott grit his teeth in annoyance.

"Well, I tried," Phoenix said to Scott through his earpiece after disconnecting his open voice comm.

 _It was worth a shot..._

"Excuse me Miss Orimura, but could you blame Scott for wanting to be a part of this mission? It is his father. If I were him, I'd want the same thing," Cecilia questioned. "Not to mention, whoever is going with him can keep him under control," she suggested.

"That's a valid suggestion, but before we get to that, let's go over who'll be assigned the mission."

Miss Orimura zoomed in on the hologram that Phoenix created from the satellite. The building was a small industrial warehouse about fifteen meters tall, fifty meters wide, and eighty meters long. There was a big door in the front to allow a forklift carry any cargo into the building, and a small backdoor. There were big, broken, dusty pane windows all along the top half of the warehouse. On the roof of the warehouse, there was a small broken window pane at the back. Off to the right side was a smaller building, an office of some sort that was also old and broken. That building only had one door and a few broken windows.

Chifuyu examined the building for a while before speaking, "We don't have much to go off. But since the building is fairly small, I'd like Shinonono and Orimura to be the ones to go. You two have melee based IS' which will come in handy for such a small area... When you get there I want you to do a quick look inside to try and find Hugh. We don't know how many people are guarding the place so be careful, and only incapacitate any threats you many come across," she explained.

Houki and Ichika both nodded before Miss Orimura continued, "If you have any questions, now's the time."

Houki raised her hand, "Is Scott tagging along?"

"No, I understand where he's coming from, but it's too dangerous for him to go. Instead, him and Phoenix will help you two from within this room. The mission will commence at the break of dawn. If that's all the questions you have, you may be dismissed," Chifuyu replied.

Her answer didn't sit too well with Scott as he got up and left the room.

Cecilia was about to leave as well when Miss Orimura called her over, "Cecilia, can I speak with you for a moment."

The british girl complied and walked over to her teacher, "Yes?"

"About Scott, I'd like you to keep an eye on him until the mission is completed. And tell me if he tries to do something," Chifuyu ordered.

Cecilia looked at Miss Orimura with a questioning look, "You believe Scott will try to do the mission on his own because you didn't give him permission to go?"

"Precisely. I'm worried he'll rush in alone and get himself killed."

"But if you anticipate that much, then why not just let him go on the mission in the first place?" Cecilia inquired.

"The reason I won't let him go on the mission is because the people who are holding Scott's father want Scott. If I were to send him in with Shinonono and Orimura, he might not only lose control of his emotions but also get captured. Not only that, but from what I saw on the mercenary, he's armed with live rounds for military grade weapons. If Shinonono and Orimura run out of shield energy they could get killed trying to save Hugh and him. Now, I want you to keep an eye on Scott, and if he tries to leave by himself: follow him and report back to me immediately."

Cecilia nodded her head, "Understood. I'll keep an eye on him."

* * *

David sighed out of boredom as he spun around in the dusty old chair of the office he was in. He stopped after a while and placed the butterfly knife he was playing with on the broken desk, "Corey, you set up a two mile radius of sensors around the warehouse already?"

The man standing behind David nodded, turning to look at him, "Yes. We'll know when someone is near if the sensors are tripped."

"Good, get your team to set up a defensive perimeter around the warehouse and take turns watching the skies in four hour shifts. Viktor's team needs to rest," David ordered as he got up, leaving the office through a door that lead to the warehouse as Corey gave his team orders through an earpiece.

Inside the warehouse was an 18 wheel semi-truck with a big trailer on the back, and closed crates spread across the first floor. David walked up a staircase to reach the second floor, "Viktor," he called out, a russian man in his late 30's who was adjusting a 9K38 Igla looked up from the table towards David, "You can order your team to come back. Corey's team will be taking over watch duty, in the meantime, let your men rest. Jacob's team is still watching over the inside of the warehouse, so there's no need to worry."

Viktor chuckled loudly, "Good, American men are weak. They've been complaining all day, saying they don't understand why they need to look out for flying robot machines. Russian strong, no complaints about assigned mission," he explained in a heavy russian accent before turning on his earpiece to notify his team, while David rolled his eyes due to the russian's comment.

"Yeah, yeah. Just inspect the rest of our arsenal and make sure all the weapons are clean," David ordered before opening another door that lead to the room Hugh was in. "Jacob, how's our guest doing?"

Another man in his early 30's, who had scars all over his face yawned while sitting in a chair directly in front of Hugh, "Asleep, somehow."

David raised an eyebrow as he came up from behind Hugh and looked at the camera behind Jacob, "You sure he's not dead?"

"No, the old man is still kicking. I thought he was dead at first, but he's just miraculously managed to fall asleep," Jacob explained.

"Well I'm bored, and need some entertainment, so let's wake him up, shall we?" David suggest with a grin.

"By all means, be my guest," Jacob said as he spread boths arms out as a welcoming gesture while standing up from his chair.

David smiled as he complied, slapping Hugh's bruised and bloodied face with the back of his hand gently, "Rise and shine beautiful."

Hugh lifted his head as he groaned in pain, "Now what is it? You already know I'm not going to say anything."

David smiled as he pulled the seat jacob was sitting in earlier up to Hugh and sat down, "Oh, I know that. I'm just here because I'm bored, so I've come to have some fun with you."

Jacob scoffed in amusement, "You're worse than me when it comes to entertainment, boss."

David ignored his subordinates comment, "Now, where do you want to start Hugh? The legs? The eyes? The ears, or mouth? Maybe the arms? Or the hands? Ooo, maybe the fingers again." He rhetorically asked with excitement in his voice.

Hugh looked at David with the one eye that wasn't swollen shut, "How is it you've become so twisted that you enjoy torture so much?"

"It used to my line of work back when I still worked for my government. I did it so much that I eventually started enjoying it," David explained in a calm, yet nonchalant voice. "Now, I guess we can work with your fingers again," he said before breaking one of Hugh's fingers by bending it too far back, creating a snapping noise followed by a cry of pain.

"That sound never gets old. Like music to my ears," David commented, causing Jacob to laugh.

"I'll leave you two alone to have your fun," Jacob said before leaving. He was about close the door when David called out to him, "Jacob, make sure Tyler and Robert's teams return to the warehouse. I have a feeling Hugh's son will be on his way here soon. I'd prefer it if we are fully prepared for when he arrives," he explained. Jacob nodded before shutting the rusty iron door behind him, leaving Hugh and David alone.

"You really think my son is going to come here on his own?" Hugh inquired with his head down, tired from lack of sleep as pain coursed through his entire body.

David gave a small chuckle, "I'd bet my life on it. I don't think any son or daughter in their right mind would leave their parents to die if it meant saving their own. They'd rather save their parents or die with them."

* * *

Scott was sitting in the cafeteria alone, eating the lunch he bought when he saw Cecilia walk up to him with her own tray of food.

The blonde sat across from him and started eating, unsure how to start a conversation, considering Scott had an ominous aura.

"So, you must not be happy with her orders, are you?" She inquired the obvious.

"Of course not. He's my father... I finally have the power to save my loved ones, to do something, and I'm being forced to do nothing. How do you think that feels?" He answered in a low, but angry tone.

"It must make you feel helpless," Cecilia replied as she lowered her head, knowing that feeling all too well.

The girl brought her head back up with a faint smile, "I... did my best to convince Miss Orimura to let you go on the rescue mission, but she was adamant about you staying here for your own safety," Cecilia explained.

Scott glanced up at Cecilia before continuing to eat his meal, "No surprise there. She swore to me that it's her job to keep us safe throughout the school year," he said the second half with distaste in his voice.

 _I feel like I'm a bird locked in a damn cage..._ He thought

"Are you planning on doing something to occupy yourself until the mission begins?" The british girl asked out of curosity.

"If sleep counts, then yes... But what about you?"

Cecilia was caught off guard and blurted out an answer, as she laughed nervously, hoping he'd believe her lie, "I, uh, was going to do some overnight training."

Scott looked at her carefully before finishing his meal, "Did Miss Orimura give you permission to, considering the arenas are closed after dark?" He casually inquired.

"Oh yes! She told me that it was a one-time thing after I explained to her that I wanted to improve my skills since the Academy has been a target lately," the girl explained after regaining her composure.

"That's wonderful. I hope everything goes well with your training. In the meantime I'll be sleeping until the mission begins," Scott said as he stood up, picking his tray up in the process, "Once it starts I'll be watching the entire operation... Anyways, I'm going to head back to the dorm," the boy said as he looked outside one of the cafeteria windows and saw the sun setting.

Scott returned his tray and left the cafeteria. Cecilia watched him leave as she finished her food, wondering why Chifuyu suspects he'd disobey orders and go off on his own. Sure, he may be a little emotional based off last encounter, but personal feelings aside, Scott seems like he's cool as a cucumber. He's also intelligent and strong, so one would believe he's reasonable and reliable. Not only that, he helped significantly in coordinating his classmates in the fight with the gospel. Judging from that fight alone, he was willing to risk his life to save his classmates, Cecilia's included. The british girl was at a loss as to why she needed to watch over him, he's more than capable of protecting himself. Nonetheless, Cecilia returned her tray of food and left the cafeteria to trail Scott back to his dorm room.

* * *

Scott was in his dorm room at his desk that was currently covered in metal used for IS parts. He was busy building gloves with materials he snagged from one of the maintenance rooms on his way to his room. It was night out, so Scott was doing his best to not wake his roommate or anyone else up.

Cecilia was leaning against the wall beside Scott's door to his room, listening in on what he was doing.

"Scott, there's someone watching us," Phoenix warned through his earpiece.

 _Who is it? Are they a threat?_

"No, it's just Cecilia. She's been tailing you since the cafeteria," the A.I explained.

 _Why would she be spying on me? I never recall her ever worrying before._

"I have a feeling there's more to it than that," Phoenix commented, "She was probably ordered to spy on you."

 _By Chifuyu, huh? She's been getting in my way a lot lately._

"I don't blame Chifuyu. She seems genuinely worried about you, and therefore takes the necessary precautions to make sure you're safe."

 _But... she's just my teacher, why would she care so much about my well-being?_

"Have you ever thought that she might know your father?" Phoenix inquired. "Now, this is just an assumption, but Chifuyu seems emotionally invested in this case as well. Earlier when she messaged you on the comms to go to the control center, her eye twitched slightly when you accused her of forcing you to do nothing. It's barely noticeable, even for me, but Chifuyu does seem to care about you, and possibly your father," he explained.

Scott finished constructing his gloves and put them on to see if they fit properly, flexing his hands repeatedly. The gloves were made of IS metal, and covered the back of his hands and fingers, leaving his palms exposed so he can properly grasp objects. Soft leather was underneath the metal to protect Scott's hands from any cuts or scratches from the metal. There was also a soft leather strap that wrapped around his wrist along with five smaller straps that wrapped around each finger to keep the glove in place.

 _So, you're saying that my father and Chifuyu might know each other?_

"Yes... you see, lately while you've been asleep I have been looking through your past memories and..."

 _And?..._

"There's a teenage girl in your memories that has a presence much like Chifuyu's. I can't say for sure since your memories of back then are hazy, but I believe that girl was Chifuyu," Phoenix finished.

 _What does that have to do with her knowing my father?_

"Well if my assumption is correct, then your parents maintained Chifuyu's IS after Tabane disappeared from the world."

"Wait what?!" Scott said aloud. He realised he spoke and covered his mouth.

 _So you're telling me those dreams I've been having are actually memories?!_

"Yes."

 _But that doesn't make sense. I was born and raised in Canada, so my parents maintaining Chifuyu's IS back then is impossible. She's lived in Japan all her life._

"She may have lived in Japan all her life, but can you truly believe that you've lived in Canada all _your_ life? Say you're parents moved to Japan shortly after you were born, you wouldn't remember, would you?" Phoenix asked. "Not to mention your mother's tragedy. If that happened here in Japan while you were eleven, normally you'd remember where it happened, unless the pain and sorrow was too much for you that you repressed those details, and/or memories."

"Now, I can't say for sure but I do believe you've lived in Japan for a portion of your life. If I were able to access your memories from your mother's death I could comfirm it, but you've actually subconsciously repressed most of them. If you have lived in Japan for most of your life, it would explain why you're so fluent in Japanese," Phoenix continued, "Tell me something. How do you know Japanese?"

Scott furrowed his brows, _My father taught me how to, but I don't remember why he did._

"See, doesn't that frustrate you? Why would your father teach you to speak Japanese if you've lived in Canada all your life. It just doesn't make sense to me."

Scott put his hands to his head in frustration, _Quit it! You're forgetting what our current objective is. We can talk about this later._ _Now let's finish the work in front of us and head out._

"What about your friend Cecilia?" Phoenix inquired.

Scott sighed, _We can deal with her later if she ends up following us._

Scott brought his hands up so they were in front of his face before a light appeared and the gloves vanished. Shortly after, the light appeared again and the gloves were back. This time though, they felt like they were like a second skin to Scott as they stuck to him, now that they were a part of his quantum shift.

"I find it intriguing that you've managed to create a separate quantum shift just for those," Phoenix commented.

 _Intriguing as it may be, it was a lot more difficult than I thought. This was all I could manage to have in the spare one I created. It's more like an extra weapon space for my IS, except it's the size for a human, not a machine._

"Well then, shall we get going?" Phoenix inquired as Scott looked over his shoulder to see Ichika still sleeping.

 _Yes. We don't have much time before the official mission begins, so let's get a nice headstart._

* * *

It's been nearly an hour since Cecilia had heard any movements within Scott's dorm room. She thought he went to sleep, but something about the eerie quietness gave her a bad feeling, so Cecilia quietly opened the door to check on Scott.

When she entered the room she noticed that he was no longer at the desk. She walked further in to see if he was sleeping in his bed, but didn't find anyone but Ichika. Cecilia checked the bathroom and didn't find anybody in it. When she came out and looked back into the room, she noticed the window beside Scott's bed was open and the curtains were blowing ever so slightly from the breeze outside.

Cecilia sighed in defeat as she felt the small breeze from outside, _I guess I was wrong about the boy_ _after all._

* * *

Hello, and welcome back! I think it's starting to get juicy here. But that's just me.

 **Stratos263 -** *chuckles* you have no idea what I have in store for you my kind sir.

 **PearlTapioca -** Scott has his own plans as you just saw. At the beginning of the chapter though, you did see him say that he'd rather fight this fight with his friends, but Chifuyu won't allow him.

 **TalonAlpha3 -** You are correct. I believe if Scott were to actually 2v1 Houki and Cecilia, he'd win only by luck, seeing as both of his opponent are strong in their own right. Petty fights and near death situations aside, the party did go well. David, the mercenary, is just so fun to write, and there'll be more of him.

 **Kerlongsj Evert Orlejov -** Trust me when I say "I don't mind late reviews." Any and all reviews are nice bits of motivation to keep going, no matter when I receive them. And I myself, as most of you know, review late. And yes, there will be a harem. Right now in these latest chapters I'm slowly setting up the first heroine (hm, I wonder who that could be?) Sorry if that sounded sarcastic, it was meant to be funny. I'll definitely return the favour next week if not this weekend.

 **CrimsonTheKing -** His emotions is going to be a big part of the overall story. Currently though, Scott is outshining Ichika, which is okay in my opinion. But for those of you who don't like it when an OC outshines the original main character, fear not, I will be delving into Ichika's story later on. From there the two can share the pedestal. Also, if you haven't noticed already I love writing cliffhangers just as much I like reading them.

That is all for now. Fav, follow, review if you wish. Peace!


	12. Reckless Decisions

"Talking"

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 **Reckless Decisions**

* * *

Scott was flying across the Pacific Ocean, with a determined expression in the dark night. The sound of the wind, and waves were all he could hear as he was talking with Phoenix.

"So what do you plan on doing once you get there?" Phoenix inquired.

 _I'll have a general idea,_ Scott answered.

"Do you really think you can take on the captors by yourself Scott?" Phoenix questioned out of worry.

 _I'm confident I can survive this fight. I do have my blink._

Phoenix mentally sighed to himself, "What am I going to do with you?" Scott chuckled in response.

Pheonix picked up an incoming target behind them, and zoomed in on it. "You were correct. Cecilia did follow us."

 _That's not surprising._

"So what do you plan on doing with her?" Phoenix asked as North America came into view.

 _I plan on getting her help,_ Scott replied confidently.

* * *

Cecilia walked out of Ichika's room, closing the door behind her before pulling up her comms as she exited the dorm, "Ms. Orimura, Scott has left the Academy. He's not in his room. I'm going to pursue him like you ordered. I'll contact you when I reach him."

Chifuyu nodded her head in response, "Understood. I'll set up a support team to follow after you as soon as possible."

Cecilia nodded her head before she cut the comm and activated Blue Tears and took off into the dark sky.

Cecilia slightly grit her teeth in disappointment, _I thought he was smarter than this._

* * *

Scott stopped ten clicks from the North American shore and stared at it.

 _So, I'm back here again, huh. To think the first time I return here since joining the Academy is to save my father..._

"I don't mean to intrude on your family's privacy, but I did some research on your father, and nothing really comes up about him," Phoenix commented in response.

 _Isn't that good?_

Phoenix took a while to respond, "Normally, yes. But his record is so clean and bare, it's almost as if someone wiped his global files to hide something."

 _Do you think my father would've done that_ _himself?_ Scott asked.

Before Phoenix could reply a laser passed by Scott, missing his head by an inch.

"Scott," Cecilia said as she had her Starlight Mk 3 pointed at him, "I've been ordered to return you to the Academy. Please refrain from fighting back," she said as her BITs surrounded him.

"Well. This was not the approach I expected from her," Phoenix said to Scott as he slowly brought his hands up.

"May I turn around?" Scott inquired.

"No."

"I believe she has a good idea of how your blink works," Phoenix explained, and Scott grit his teeth in response.

"I just want to save my father. Nothing more. I can't sit idly by while others do what should be my job." Scott said, still staring at his home continent.

Cecilia kept her sights on Scott as she thought about his words, "I can see where you're coming from... but I thought you were smarter than this? Did you even think this through? You could get yourself killed!"

Scott shook his head, "No, I'm not, and this time I don't care about what's the smart thing to do; all I care about is saving my father from being killed. If you have a problem with that then turn back and don't interfere."

"I'm afraid I can't. I was told to come retrieve you, and if I'm unable to then I'm to wait until a support team arrives to do so," Cecilia explained in a serious tone, still keeping aim all the while.

Scott sighed in returned as he closed his eyes momentarily before he looked at the night sky turning from a dark navy blue to a royal blue. _Phoenix, give me vision of Cecilia please._

"You plan on blinking to her?" Phoenix inquired as he brought up a window showing Cecilia.

 _That's correct._

"But... I thought you needed clear vision of your own to activate it?".

Scott grinned as he focused on where Cecilia was, _You won't know unless you try, now will you._ The next moment Scott blinked behind Cecilia who was caught off-guard, as he encased them in his IS' wings to protect himself from Cecilia's BITs. He wrapped his arms around Cecilia and dematerialized his helmet so he could whisper in her ear, "Wouldn't you do the same for your mother if you were given the chance?" He asked softly, causing Cecilia to drop her Starlight Mk 3 as it dissipated. The next moment Scott was gone, and Cecilia was left alone to her own thoughts.

* * *

Scott landed three and a half clicks from the warehouse his father was being held, and dematerialized his IS. "So, the warehouse is just up ahead?"

"Correct," Phoenix replied as he scanned the building while Scott started walking towards the area. "Scott... you might want to rethink this..." Phoenix commented with hesitation in his voice.

"Why is that?"

"Because my scan tells me there's a total number of thirty-six fully armed mercenaries stationed in and around the warehouse. Not to mention you won't be able to use your IS unless you want the police from the nearby city to come. That can pose serious issues, since the mercenaries might kill them to hide any evidence they were here," Phoenix explained in a worried tone.

Scott sighed, "This is going to be tough, huh," he then lifted his head up, "Show me a live scan of the warehouse."

Phoenix complied and Scott's helmet appeared and the visor changed his vision to a 3D thermal view. Scott zoomed in on the warehouse and could see what Phoenix meant; there were dozens of thermal signatures. Outside the building were a total of five armed men. All of them were patrolling the top and bottom of the warehouse. Inside the warehouse was where Scott's main problem lied. Thirty-one men was too much men for him to take on by himself, especially in such a small area. If he got caught they could possibly kill him in an instant, if he was surrounded. The ground floor alone had twenty mercenaries on it, with the rest being on the second.

"Can you switch it to a holographic view?" Scott inquired. Phoenix responded and switched his views. This time Scott got a better view of the inside of the warehouse. On the ground floor, there were many crates stacked around the first floor. Not to mention there was a semi-truck with a trailer, and four eight-seated Black SUVs, crammed within the building. On the second floor there were a few more smaller crates, probably filled with their ammunition. Scott also found there was a back room on the second floor, it held three people inside it. One was strapped to a chair while the other two stood watch. After scanning the building Scott dematerialized his helmet once more.

"Are you going to go in alone?" Phoenix inquired, seeing as Cecilia hadn't arrived yet like Scott planned.

Scott sighed in defeat, as he really hoped Cecilia would change her mind and assist him, _I guess..._ He started walking towards the warehouse, ready to fight for his father's life.

* * *

Sunrise was approaching as the sky was changing colour, indicating night was coming to an end. Scott was hiding behind an old, rusty abandoned storage crate. He was observing one of the mercenaries before deciding on what to do.

The mercenary was busy talking on a comm as he continued his rounds of patrol, seemingly unaware that he was being watched.

"Once you take out their watch-guards, they will know that we're here," Phoenix stated.

 _I know that. Which is why I'm trying to figure out the best case scenario for me,_ Scott replied in annoyance.

"If you're talking about _any_ best case scenario. I'd suggest waiting for that support team Cecilia mentioned, and then maybe convince them along with her to help raid the warehouse," Phoenix advised, knowing Scott would understand his reasoning, despite hating it.

 _You know as well as I do that the support team sent to help her will be our friends, ordered by Chifuyu to come restrain me while they take on the rescue mission._

"That may be so, but it never hurts to try," Phoenix countered.

 _Just, stop talking for now. You and I both know that our friends won't help us, they've been ordered by CHIFUYU to stop us, so just be my second pair of eyes for the time being and have my back. I'm gonna take out their patrol unit._

"I'll always have your back Scott, but what do you plan on doing after that?"

 _If I wait too long after taking out the patrol team they'll have figured out that something is wrong, so I need to rush in as fast as I can without being noticed. From there I'll need to eliminate as much threats as possible before they find out I'm here._

Phoenix thought about the plan before replying, "That seems like the most logical plan if you're going in alone, but it poses a lot of risk if they know we're already here."

Scott grinned a little, _You'll never know unless we try, right?_

Phoenix mentally sighed, "I just said that moments ago..."

The next moment he appeared behind the mercenary and knocked them out by jabbing his elbow into the nape of their neck. Scott swiftly switched locations with his blink, taking out another mercenary. The brown-haired boy then crouched to be stealth as he started moving to the next mercenary. The next one was above him, and he waited around the corner, peaking occasionally to see if his target's back was turned to him. Once it was he blinked towards them, also taking them out. Scott wasn't paying attention to the rotation of the other guards and one of them turned the corner and saw him.

"Scott, behind you!" Phoenix warned as soon as the mercenary saw Scott.

Scott instantly turned around and blinked to the mercenary before he could aim his M416, and fire at the boy. Scott wrapped one of his arms around the mercenary's neck, and used his other to disarm the mercenary, then put him in a choke hold as the man forcefully pushed Scott back into the railing, struggling to break free, using both hands to pull Scott off him while the boy was momentarily stunned from his back hitting the railing so hard. The mercenary had time to back away from Scott as he opened his comm.

"A single target has made it to the second floor outside the warehouse. He's a teenage boy, and appears to have some sort of teleport," the mercenary informed the rest of the platoon.

Scott regained his composure as he looked towards the mercenary who had his five-nine-seven aimed at the boy. "Give up. You're severely outnumbered," the mercenary demanded.

Scott could only laugh in response before he bolted towards his opponent, sliding between his legs, tagging the mercenary with one of his hands, and then blinked to the other side of the railing. Scott passed between the railings safely, while the mercenary who came with him due to Scott tagging the merc before he blinked was knocked unconscious, and severely injured. His spine cracking due to the large momentum Scott had given him, also causing the mercenary to hit the floor of the railing, face first, breaking his nose.

The last patrolling mercenary was below Scott and caught him still mid-air as he readied his rifle, aiming at the vulnerable airborne boy, as he shot. Phoenix warned Scott of the last man outside, and spun his body to the right so he could get a clear view of the man, before blinking to him, sliding on the ground and ended up face to face with the last patrolling Merc. Scott smiled at the man who was bewildered by his ability, before he slid a foot behind his opponent, tripping the Merc and stealing his handgun before he fell. The boy pointed the gun at the man and shot at his knees before unloading it and throwing it on the ground.

"Why did you use a firearm?" Phoenix inquired.

 _Because they already know we're here. So I might as well use what I can to give me an advantage_ , Scott explained.

A little later, Scott did another scan as he was just outside the main door of the warehouse, since his presence was known; the majority of the men on the first floor all retreated to the second, and heavily guarded in and around the small back room, confirming that his father was indeed in that room. Before he entered, he materialized his helmet and checked his energy shield levels, which read eighty percent. Scott then materialized his chest piece and the forearms he forged earlier, as he needed all the protection he could get since he was going up against live rounds.

Scott took a deep breath in, _You ready Phoenix?_

"As ready as you are," Phoenix replied.

 _That's not reassuring_ , Scott said in a half joking manner.

With that Scott opened up the large, main door, and was met with twenty plus firearms all aimed at him as he put up his hands.

* * *

Cecilia thought about what Scott had said. What if her mother was in the same situation as Scott's father. She would do her best to save her, no doubts about it. But logically, going in alone was suicide. Yet, deep down, she'd have done the same thing if no one agreed to let her take part in the rescue mission. It was something she would feel the need to do. Not only would her pride get in the way of not wanting someone else to do a job she should be doing instead, but her emotions would also defy her logic. Even if she had the knowledge about her parents death back then like she does now, she'd do everything she could to prevent it, if it meant being able to see her mother once more. And, truthfully, deep down, Cecilia felt this urge to go help Scott, like he's done for her, despite her sour attitude towards him.

She knew if she assisted Scott in raiding the warehouse, she'd be severely punished by Chifuyu if they managed to survive the fight. But... her inner self told her to help him. She had a feeling he would need it, however little it was.

Cecilia finally made her mind and decided to chase after Scott. She felt a serious need to help the boy out, so the teenage girl sped towards the direction she could detect Scott.

Once she got there, she was crouching on top of the roof of the warehouse, and was looking below at where Scott was. He was currently surrounded by twenty plus men, with his hands behind his head and all his armour active except his legs and wings. But what caught her eye was his forearms. They were human size instead of them being longer.

"You're Scott, I'm assuming?" A man in his mid thirties asked, as he stood behind all the other men, who had their ARs pointed at the boy.

"Who's asking," Scott said in return, with a grin behind his helmet, albeit the man couldn't see it as Scott scanned the men surrounding him from above. Phoenix had noted that Scott was enjoying the danger he was in.

"Is this all you got?" Scott questioned.

The man laughed, as he spread his arms, "This is all I need."

Scott dematerialized his helmet, a determined look across his face, "You confident about that?"

The man brought a hand to his chin, scratching it, "Show me what you've got."

Scott obliged as he blinked behind him, materializing his helmet, and took the man's five-nine-seven from his holster, then blinked to another soldier who was still pointing at where Scott used to be (which was on the first floor with his hands behind his head), like everyone else was. Scott shot the back of the Mercs leg, and hit the nape of his neck knocking the man out. The rest of the soldiers were caught off guard as they blind fired in his direction, shooting their own shortly after Scott blinked again, taking out another by using him as a meat shield while he shot two more Mercs in the shoulders and legs to disarm them. Scott glanced at his shield energy before blinking again, throwing another Merc against the wall, shooting him a couple times in the chest before he disappeared once more, knocking two more out by smashing their heads together. None of the Mercs in the small warehouse were able to keep track of where Scott was. They could only follow the sounds of his gunshots, and watch the wrath he created with his overwhelming ability that the Mercs couldn't match.

Scott grabbed another Merc by the chest, using all his force to throw him forward. He blinked in the middle of the room, then let go of the man and kicked him mid-air causing the Merc to hit the railing, knocking him out, also stunning two others, as Scott readjusted his position to look at the men he was near, reloaded the pistol with an extended mag so he could shoot at them before blinking away. The Boss, reached for his M4A16, but Scott saw this and blinked to him, throwing the man against the wall near the room his father was in and shot his gut a few times, given the Mercs refused to shoot in the direction of their boss. Scott turned around and reappeared near another who had reached for a rocket launcher, threw him into three more men and blinked to another group, each shooting them in the knees. When Scott turned around he saw four Mercs with state-of-the-art rocket launchers aimed at him. As he looked at the men with the rocket launchers, the men he knocked down had got back up and pointed their weapons at Scott. He slowly placed his empty five-nine-seven down on the ground as he glanced at his shield energy, which displayed nine percent, his absolute defense needed to be activated more than he thought during his fight. He didn't have enough to survive the blast without being seriously hurt, but neither the amount to blink to the rest of the men as he looked around, seeing he only took a little over half of the Mercs out.

Cecilia watched him surrender in defeat as he dropped his weapon as he knelt on the ground with his hands behind his head, defeated. She couldn't stand this; Scott was fighting for what he thought was right, yet had to surrender due to the overwhelming enemy he faced. It infuriated her, so she activated her BITs, and fired at the mercenaries below her, breaking the window, causing the glass to hit a few, spreading it all over the first floor. Cecilia managed to incapacitate a few, before the remaining mercenaries turned their attention to her, firing their ARs. The men managed to deplete a small portion of her shield energy, causing her to retreat higher up to avoid unnecessary fire, and switched to her starlight Mk 3. She aimed at who she thought was the leader of them all, and fired a shot, hitting it's mark, burning through the man's tactical vest. He was knocked to the ground from the impact of the laser shot, his chest burnt where the shot hit.

"What are you all doing?!" He shouted in pain, "Get rid of her already!"

The men listened, as they got within view to fire again, this time the Mercs with the RPGs were in sight, and fired. Scott managed to blink to one of the mercenaries holding the RPGs and managed to throw his aim off, causing one of the rockets to hit the roof of the warehouse, creating a big hole. But the other ones hit their mark as they were fast and locked onto Cecilia. The girl was shot down as she fell to the first floor near the semi-truck, unable to use her IS anymore as it malfunctioned due to the damage the rockets caused.

Scott looked back at the Mercs who used the rocket launchers to shoot her down and analyzed them, briefly activating his helmet to get a 3D blueprint of it. Breaking down the components, showed that the heavy weapon was modified for anti-IS use. Scott dematerialized his helmet once more, and turned back to Cecilia who looked up at the man who was in charge. He managed to get back on his feet, holding his chest in pain.

The man looked down at her, in pity, "Poor girl doesn't know what she's got herself into," he grimaced as he waved a hand before turning back to Scott, "Finish her. She's of no use to us."

The moment Scott heard his command, the boy blinked to Cecilia, activating his wings using them to shield them both as he took the brunt of the rocket propelled grenades to his back and wings. It completely destroyed his IS as the wings were demolished and unrecognizable, his helmet was broke and malfunctioning. His shields managed to protect the initial impact, but the absolute defense was nullified as soon as his shields were depleted. His IS suit was burnt through and he had third degree burns on his back, the smell of burning flesh present, as he dematerialized his malfunctioning wings. He slumped against Cecilia, wincing, unable to move from the pain, resting his head on her shoulder, "You're safe right?" He asked, worry in his voice and concern on his face, albeit the girl was unable to see it.

She was shocked. He was defeated and unable to fight, yet he used everything to protect her, even throw his own body into harms way to make sure she was safe. She quivered in fear a little, "Of course, I'm unharmed. Thank you," she whispered to him.

"Good, never do that again." He said in relief as he shut his eyes.

The man scoffed, unhappy and unimpressed, "Chivalry still lives in the weak I see." He looked around briefly, seeing all the havoc Scott managed to cause before finally being overwhelmed. To an untrained eye, one would say he was extremely skilled, but to the man; he was average at best in terms of military skill. He only managed to cause this much damage because of his parlor trick.

"Viktor, Corey; round up our unwounded and get them to tend to the injured. Also, set up a small squad of three on the roof with snipers, and have them keep an eye for reinforcements while we deal with our new guests," The man ordered. The two men nodded, and got to work, leaving their leader with Cecilia and Scott.

He started walking down the stairs to reach the two, as Cecilia looked at the man in horror, wrapping her arms around Scott's lower back, hugging him tightly. "Don't hurt him, you've done enough! He only came to retrieve his father."

The man could only give an evil grin in return as he walked up to her, shoving Scott aside, who passed out from the pain of his injury, with one foot, "I have no intention of letting him or his son leave this place alive." He picked Cecilia up by the hair, and had her stand, still in his hold, "But adding you to the equation makes things much... much more interesting for me." He stated before giving a deranged laugh, dragging her upstairs as she struggled to be free of his grasp.

* * *

Ichika was sleeping soundly when he was abruptly woken by Houki, who used his and Scott's coat hanger to whack him in the head. "Ow! What was that for?!" Ichika complained.

"Ms. Orimura ordered me to get you. She has an emergency mission for us," Houki explained in a stern voice.

Ichika laid up on his bed, his legs still under the sheets, as he rubbed his eyes, "And what's this emergency mission?"

Houki said nothing but pointed towards Scott's bed. Ichika followed the direction and saw his roommate and friend was missing. "Where'd he go?" They blue-haired boy asked.

Ichika's childhood friend couldn't stand his stupidity anymore and grabbed the back of his collar and started dragging him out of the room, "If you remember the argument Scott and Ms. Orimura had last night during our last meeting; you wouldn't be asking that question," Houki replied with an annoyed expression.

The two friends reached the control room, and took their seats with all the other personal IS pilots. Ms. Orimura got up from the monitor she was looking at with Yamada and turned her attention to the students. "Scott went AWOL, and is on route to the terrorist hideout in the U.S. I had Cecilia watch over him, but he managed to evade her, and escape. I have sent her to follow suit and restrain him if she can until support arrives. You are that support. This mission has gone from a two man rescue mission, to a full-on fight. I'm sending you all in to ensure the success of the rescue mission of Scott Stalker, Hugh Stalker, and possibly Cecilia Alcott if she has been captured by the time you arrive. You are to retrieve your friends and Scott's father and make a tactical retreat... I'd advise against fatal blows, as these men deserve to serve behind bars, whether it be ours or the U.S... I'll contact a colleague to send a support team of their own, and apprehend the terrorists with you. Any questions."

Charlotte raised her hand, "What is the estimated time of arrival for us, and how many threats are we facing?"

"The ETA is six to eight hours at best, and the total number of threats is unknown. Alcott hasn't contacted us since I sent her after Scott, so either she hasn't caught up to him yet, or has been captured by the terrorists" Chifuyu replied.

"How long ago did Scott turn AWOL?" Rin asked.

"Scott disappeared approximately five or six hours ago, given his advanced IS, he probably reached the U.S faster than most of yours would. And Cecilia Alcott was sent to pursue him about fifteen minutes after we noticed he went missing, yet it took us an hour before we found out he disappeared," Yamada answered as she lifted her head up from the computer screen.

Laura rubbed her chin as she was processing the information, "So, it's more than likely to assume that Scott, as well as Cecilia have been taken captive if the numbers proved to be too great for them, assuming they both arrived and Cecilia was unable to restrain Scott."

Houki shuddered in fear at the thoughts that crossed her mind, remembering the state of Scott's father, "So it'll be at least six hours before we can even arrive to deliver support and rescue them." The rest of the group excluding Chifuyu quivered at the thought.

"That's in the best case scenario," Chifuyu added.

"Hopefully our friends are able to hold out long enough for us," Ichika commented, the rest of the group nodding their heads in agreement.

Chifuyu cleared her throat, "If that's all, then everybody head outside and get ready to start the mission."

The group nodded and left the control room, followed by Chifuyu and Miss Yamada.

Once all the pilots were in their IS', Chifuyu went over the basic strategy, "I've decided to form two groups out of you five. There'll be the main force; Orimura, Shinonono, and Huang. They'll be in the front dealing with the terrorists, advancing slowly as they eliminate the threats, while Bodewig and Dunois provide cover fire and support from above. The rest will be up to you five on how you coordinate the rescue mission."

The personal IS pilots all had determined expressions on their faces, turning away as they set off to catch up to Scott and Cecilia.

* * *

Scott slowly opened his eyes, and found himself tied to a chain attached to the ceiling of the warehouse. He wasn't able to stand due to the pain he was in and was on his knees. He looked around and saw a handful of people, albeit he couldn't tell who they were, as his eye sight was still hazy. "Where.. am I?" He inquired.

The boy heard a couple sighs of relief after he spoke. "My god, you're awake. Thank goodness," His father spoke, although it was mumbled and distorted, due to his disfigured face.

"Scott, don't you ever do that again! You nearly got yourself killed," Cecilia scolded, trying to keep her usual prideful tone of voice. But it was evident she was scared.

The boy couldn't help but chuckle painfully, "I'll keep that in mind the next time you're about to be killed," Scott replied as he regained his vision. He looked ahead of him, and saw his father's condition in person. The old man was still locked up in his chair, and had scars, bruises, lashes, missing nails both finger and toe, deep cuts, and bloodied bandages around his entire body. The boy scowled at the sight. His father's condition looked much worse now that he saw it for himself, and it made his blood boil.

Scott's father saw the look on his face, "It's okay," he mumbled, "It looks a lot worse than it is."

"What they've done to you..." Scott tried standing up, but fell to his knees, "... Isn't right." He continued. "What do they even want from you?"

Hugh turned his head to the side, shame on his face, "There's.. a lot more to me than you know son."

"Then tell me and I could help you!" Scott pleaded, tears forming in his eyes, "I don't want to lose you too."

The door behind Scott opened and David entered, "Yes father, please tell your poor son what your research is and where he can find the documents of it," he feigned a worried voice.

Hugh scowled, "Like I'd ever share anything with a scumbag like you." He retorted.

David waved his finger, "Tsk tsk. You never learn do you." He said before pulling Scott's hair, so the boy was looking up at him, "Where shall we start boy?"

Scott glared at the man, refusing to talk. David sighed, "Fine, I guess I'll choose for you." He said as he unsheathed his knife. David put it's tip against Scott's face and trailed it downwards to his chin, drawing blood as the boy winced. "Hmm, we could start with the arms. I can't have you using that bothersome ability of yours again, now can I?" Shortly after saying that, he stabbed the knife into Scott's right arm, causing the boy to scream in pain. David grinned as he twisted the knife, earning another scream of pain from Scott.

Hugh grit his teeth, turning his head away, unable to look at his son. Cecilia on the other hand was screaming, "Stop it! What has Scott done to deserve this? You heard it from his own father; Scott doesn't know about his work."

David laughed, "Don't worry dear, I heard Hugh loud and clear. But, I can't help but want to torture him by hurting his son in front of his own eyes. I imagine it's unbearable to see your own child in pain due to your own mistakes. Isn't that right Hugh?" The man had a sinister grin as he watched Hugh, who was still unable to look at his son.

Hugh refused to talk as tears trailed down his face. "My my, are you willing to let your son be tortured like you were?" David asked rhetorically, before removing the knife. Blood gushed out of Scott's wound as David cleaned the blood from his knife. Cecilia winced in disgust and fear at the sight. David walked around Scott to face him as he knelt down, "Now, if you don't want to feel anymore pain, I'd suggest telling your father to tell us everything about his work."

Scott turned his head to the side, not wanting to speak as he closed his eyes. David sighed as he rubbed his forehead, "I see, you're just as stubborn as your father. I guess I can play the hard way," he pierced the knife into Scott's left leg, earning another scream of pain as Scott continued to keep his eyes closed.

David stood up, leaving the knife in Scott's leg, "What I don't understand is why you're defending your father when he's kept secrets from you all your life, knowing full well that those secrets might cause you harm if they were ever revealed."

"Like a few secrets would make me hate my own father," Scott replied in pain. He opened his eyes briefly, and saw Cecilia look at him with tear soaked eyes before he closed his own again, not wanting to look her in the eyes. "You can torture me all you want, but it won't reap any fruits."

"You're certain you can live through what your father went through?" David inquired, a grin creeping across his face.

Scott opened his eyes again, and returned the grin, "I'm sure I can survive for the next five or so hours."

David grit his teeth in response, "You have reinforcements coming don't you?"

Scott could only continue to grin as he watched David, "I'd say around five more IS users are heading this way right now." This infuriated David, so he pulled his knife out before leaving the room.

In the main room of the warehouse David walked over to Viktor, "Change of plans. Get the mercenaries to switch to Anti-IS rounds. Turns out there's more coming."

Viktor chuckled, "More machines Viktor gets to blow up! Sounds fun!"

"This isn't something to laugh about, once you get them all to switch rounds, start packing up all the crates into the semi, we might have to abort the mission if it gets too risky," David explained.

"You can count on Viktor," Viktor replied.

David left Viktor and went searching for another member of his squad. He entered the office room of the warehouse, "Corey, I need you to send a few more men to watch the skies from the roof, everyone will switch to anti-IS rounds as there will be more."

Corey lifted an eyebrow, "What makes you think that? I chose a spot that has been out of service for almost a decade. We should be fine."

David slammed his hand onto the desk, "Damn it, I know that but that damned kid called for backup before he tried infiltrating us. We may be able to hold off IS' with ease, but since half of our force is currently out of service, we can't hold off a full-on attack from more than two or so IS pilots."

Corey scratched the back of his neck, "Yeah, I guess I can set up a few more snipers on the roof, and if what you say is true, we'll have to abort the mission, but it'll be near impossible to pack everything up mid-fight."

"I know that, which is why I have Viktor having everyone who's capable of wielding a firearm to switch to Anti-IS rounds to buy time, and have him pack everything up now before the reinforcements arrive, so if we do need to abort; we can do so with ease," David explained. "Also, find Jacob and tell him to get transport vehicles, so we can move our wounded without any trouble."

"I'll tell him as soon as he comes back," Corey replied.

"Why? Where did he go?" David asked.

"I asked him to do a recon mission since we're shorthanded and he's the least likely to be in danger if he was to get in trouble," Corey answered.

"What's he scouting for?"

Corey gave a small grin, "A lookout spot within the city limits, so a sniper can watch from afar with no detection from IS'."

* * *

Susan was just getting into her car to go to work in the morning when her cellphone started ringing. The blonde woman answered the phone after starting her car, allowing her car to pick it up, "Smith speaking, who is this?"

A familiar voice spoke over the phone, "It's Scott's teacher, he's found his father's location."

Chifuyu sighed, "There was a plan, but Scott went AWOL because he couldn't accept the fact he wasn't put on the team. But I didn't want him on it because i knew he might lose his emotions and jeopardize the mission." Chifuyu explained.

Susan chuckled slightly, "The kid's always been that way, you'd know that if you had paid attention during his childhood. Then you would've known putting him on the rescue team would've been less stressful. I'm assuming by now all of your personal IS pilots are at risk because of your mistake?"

"That's the current situation at the moment. I sent the rest out to rescue Scott and his father, but called you to ask for support," The Brynhildr replied.

"Well, that depends on their location," Susan replied.

"It's in the U.S, I'll send you the coordinates."

Susan thought for a moment, "The CSIS doesn't have the authority to conduct operations outside of Canada... But, I do have a connection or two within the U.S government, and might be able to get you what you want that way."

"I'd appreciate any support you can get. Call me when you have an answer," Chifuyu stated before hanging up.

Susan on the other hand arrived at her work building, went to her floor, and entered her office where she sat down and rubbed her forehead in frustration, "What has this become? Was it right to drag Hugh back out into the light?"

One of the agents knocked on her door before opening, "You okay? You don't look like you're in a good mood."

Susan waved a hand, "Yeah, it's just personal issues. Just give me some time and I'll be out there."

The agent gave an understanding look before closing the door behind them, leaving Smith to her own devices. She pulled up a holo comm screen and phoned an officer named "James Bryce."

It took a few seconds before he answered, "Bryce speaking, you need something Mrs. Smith?"

"Yes, I was wondering if you could send a support team to a location in the U.S?" Susan asked.

Bryce furrowed his brows, "Why would you want me to send a support team somewhere in my own country?"

Susan sighed, "Because I've personally tasked myself with the care of Canada's representative candidate for the IS Academy, and his father was taken a month ago by an unknown group, and his son has finally found his location. Would you like to guess where that is?"

"The U.S," Bryce replied knowingly. "But why should that matter to me?"

"Because the man who's been captured was not only one of the world's leading scientists, but he was also a leading scientist in understanding how the IS worked," Susan explained.

Bryce rubbed his forehead as he glanced at his squad of IS users doing their daily training before he left the training room for privacy, "You mean Hugh? The man who managed to slip under the radar after his wife's death? A scientist that several countries have been doing their best to search for these past four years?"

Susan had a smile appear on her face as Bryce recalled who Hugh was, "Yes, and Scott, Hugh's son, recently went AWOL to save him, and now all of the Academy's personal IS users are at risk as they were all sent to stop Scott from getting himself killed."

"Then why are you asking me for a favour? Sounds like Japan has it all covered," Bryce inquired, knowing full well why Susan was calling him.

"Because you know as much as I do that it would be better to have a U.S team to aid them and file a report of the operation.. Unless you want the Japanese to file one for you and send you a copy. This is an international issue after all," Susan answered.

"Then why didn't you call the U.S government directly?"

"Because you're the CO of the U.S' IS military unit, aren't you?"

The blonde woman could hear Bryce give a defeated sigh before he spoke, "I'll ask you later about how you know of this unit. Just give me the coordinates and I'll send a small squad, consisting of one of my pilots supported by a squad of SEALs. I'm assuming you want your daughter to be apart of this support mission?"

"She's the IS squad leader, so I'd assume she's the strongest of them, or am I wrong?" Susan stated as she tapped her fingers across her desk.

Bryce chuckled as he rubbed his chin in amusement, "I'd beg to differ. There's one other girl who stands out to me, but enough of that. I'll set up the squad within the hour and send them over to the location. But, If you're that worried about this mission when you already have backup coming, they better be there by the time my team arrives, otherwise I'm having my team abort for their own safety; based off how little intel you've given me about this foe, I'm assuming they're powerful, and will not risk my teams lives," he explained.

Susan nodded her head in agreement, "I can understand that plan of action if that becomes the case Bryce. The Academy's IS users are on their way to the location as we speak, so I'd hurry up."

With that Susan cut the comm on Bryce. He re-entered the training room the girls were in, and clapped his hands together, earning their attention. "Alright girls, take a break for a few minutes, cool off; drink some water. And Sasha come with me, I need to talk to you."

Sasha waved her teammates and squad to take their break without her as she turned to follow her CO into the other room. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?" She asked.

Bryce sat down on one of the control room chairs, "I'm sending you on a mission immediately. So you'll temporarily be assigned to a small squad of SEALs that you'll assist during a rescue mission you'll be supporting."

Sasha rested against the wall as she watched her CO. He seemed uneasy about this mission he was assigning her, which concerned her as well, "What rescue mission will I be supporting?" She inquired as she continued to carefully watch his movements and behavior.

Bryce scratched the back of his head, as he turned to her with an uneasy look, "That's kind of the problem. I've been asked to send a support team with no intel on the enemy you will be facing."

Sasha had an analytical expression, "Well, you know who assigned it and the location, correct?" She inquired.

Bryce nodded his head, "Your mother asked for the assistance, and the reason is because she doesn't know who the foe is. She also can't send in her own team since the coordinates are in the U.S and she has no jurisdiction here," the man explained.

"Did she ask for me to be placed on this team?"

"Not directly, but I assumed she wanted you on it since you have the most experience on paper," Bryce replied. "You will also be working alongside other personal IS users from the IS Academy as they've been sent to retrieve one of their own, and his father," Bryce explained further as he sifted through the data Susan sent him.

"Then how come I'm needed for this mission? It seems they have everything under control?"

The man chuckled as he turned towards her, and sent the data with the flick of his wrist, "That's exactly what I thought, but it turns out that the captors willingly let their location be discovered. They managed to stay off the radar for a little over a month before revealing themselves, which implies they are more than capable of facing military forces."

Sasha stood up from leaning on the wall and moved to one of the chairs in the control room as she looked through the data, "So the person who managed to trace their location was a boy named Scott, only after they sent a broadcast to the Academy?"

Bryce nodded, "Scott is the son of the man the captors are after, and his son will stop at nothing to save him, even if it means he might die according to your mother."

Sasha rubbed her head in confusion, "But why go to such lengths for one man? What does this kid's father have that these guys want?"

Her CO got up from his chair, walked over to the door leading to the room his IS squad was in and cracked the door open slowly to check on them, before closing it and turning to Sasha once more with a serious expression, "Let's just say this man is a very.. powerful and knowledgeable man in this world. Any more information about him is classified. Not even I was able to fully access his old file before it was wiped by whomever cleaned it."

Sasha thought of what he said for a moment before speaking again, "But... if that's the case then he should'v- wait, no... If he were under heavy security I don't think this would've happened so easily. Then that means he must've been in hiding all these years. But, why would he reveal himself so easily now?"

A grin slowly appeared across Bryce's face as he watched his student methodically search for an answer, "I'm just as much as a loss as you are. Nothing logical makes sense, but I could think of one variant that does."

This perked Sasha's interest, her expression telling Bryce to continue.

"Whatever it is that Hugh was researching with his wife was supposedly revolutionary according to the higher ups back when I first heard about him. There were rumors about their work being able to change the world entirely. And with those rumors were the fears of many powerful people. Shortly after the rumor of their work spread across the governments of the world, Hugh's wife died of a car accident. After her death, the husband's global files were wiped clean and he disappeared like dust in the wind." Bryce briefly stopped before continuing, "Whatever it was they were researching must have been dangerous if left in the wrong hands, causing Hugh to stop after his wife's death and take his son with him for their safety... And the only reason I could see why Hugh would be taken captive now is because people either are afraid of his work, or want it for themselves, which also means that what happened four years ago, and what's happening now are connected. But as to why he'd all of the sudden reveal himself after all this elusion could only mean that whatever it was Hugh and his wife were working on... He believes his son can achieve it."

Sasha gripped her own head in frustration, "What you just said made no sense! Why, why would they not have security twenty-four-seven if what you say about these rumors are true?! They must have known that their supposed research would cause great displeasure with a portion of the population. So why risk your life by revealing that information without backup from your government?"

Bryce shook his head, "As far as I know, this information was never revealed to the general public. It was only revealed to a small handful of world officials before they wanted to reveal it to the entire world. So only a small group knew of the research, which meant no government officials were really necessary to protect the couple; assuming no one would try to assassinate them. But I believe that was foolish thinking."

"Why are you telling me all of this? If you had just told me I needed to protect this man, I would've followed the order," Sasha inquired.

Bryce had a grim expression on his face, "That's what worries me. At this point, you'd follow any order I give to you without question. And I refuse to let that happen. I believe people need a valid reason to do what they're told, so I'm telling you all I know and heard about Hugh before I send you off to try and save him," he explained. "I believe that is fair, isn't it?"

Sasha sighed in defeat, "I guess, but... why now?"

Bryce got up from his chair and placed a reassuring hand on Sasha's shoulder, "That's because you need to know the secrets of this world. Eventually you will be entangled in all of it, and that's because you are those girls' leader. You're not only their leader, but their friend. They need to trust you when it comes time for them to find out the truth of this world, and how dark it can be. Regarding the mission, you'll get ready immediately and sent out to the coordinates and I'll have a team of SEALs standing by, near the location." With that he left the room before Sasha, closing the door behind him. He stood just outside the door and spoke, not turning his head, "You got all that, correct?"

One of the girls was leaning against the wall outside the room Bryce and Sasha were in, and nodded her head slightly before walking away without talking.

* * *

Scott had his head down as he watched his own blood ooze out of the wound on his leg. It slowly poured out of the wound in a bright red colour, which faded overtime the longer it was exposed to the air as it lost it's oxygen. His loss of blood blurred his vision, making it hard for him to see clearly. He wondered why blood was such a beautiful colour, yet was such a horrific sight. It, confused him. Why... would such a beautiful colour be used to represent something so, unsightly. He heard faint speaking as he watched the blood. It sounded distant, and distorted... But, as he came back to reality, he realized it was one of his captors who was speaking.

A man in his early thirties with many scars was trying to say something to Scott as he looked towards him, dazed. "Hey, kid. You need to adjust your position, so I can tend to the wound on your leg." The man said as he wrapped a bandage around Scott's wounded arm, "I can't have you die on me."

Scott's vision was still blurred as he looked from his leg to his captor, "What... does it matter to you? Not like I can provide anything for you. I'll just be another dead body."

The man shook his head as he readjusted Scott's leg so it was stretched out, allowing him to work on his wound. He took his own knife and heated it with a blow torch, letting the blade turn a searing red before pressing it against his open wound, earning a loud groan from Scott as it cauterized it, "I've got some water for you to drink after."

Scott shook his head in pain, refusing to drink the water.

The man gripped Scott's chin, as he forcefully tipped Scott's head back and made him drink the water. A grim, yet ruthless expression came across the man's face, "I have no say in whether you get to live or die; I follow my CO and friend's orders. If you truly want to die, then beg him for it."

Scott finished drinking the water he was forcefully given before he was able to clear his throat, and looked the man in the eyes, "I'm not asking to die. I have a strong feeling I will. Your friend is sadistic. I'm guessing he leaves death in his wake to get what he wants. I'd only be another body in his way."

A grin appeared on the man's face, he half opened his mouth to talk before stopping himself, briefly thinking over his thoughts. He then grabbed Scott's hand and shook it, "Name's Jacob. You, are an interesting one. Genius to say the least," the man commented, referring to Scott's blink, "I think you and Corey would've got along well if we met on different terms. But enough of my own thoughts; you are correct, Jam- ahem, David is a sadistic fuck, but he wasn't originally like that. The work he did was the cause of that outcome. Think that over when you judge him. You'll come to see the reality of this world."

Scott rolled his eyes, "There's many secrets and dark realities of this world I don't know. What difference would one more make?"

Jacob gave a knowing grin in response, "You'd be surprised." He then started unchaining Scott, "Now that I've patched you up, David would like to see you."

Once Scott was unchained, Jacob handcuffed the boy, and escorted him out of the room, down the staircase and into the office of the warehouse. Jacob sat Scott into a chair and then stood behind him as Scott looked hazily at David.

"I'm going to need you to tell me everything you know about the reinforcements you have coming; how many are there, what do they specialize in, etc etc," David calmly demanded as he carefully watched Scott, who still felt dizzy from all the blood he lost. David shook his head and waved at Jacob to get him some more water. Minutes later, Scott was given some to drink before he spoke, "I would love to tell you David, but then I wouldn't have any cards in my hand left to use against you," the boy said in a half mocking manner as the light-headed feeling faded away, and his vision returned completely.

David didn't find Scott's attitude to be funny, "I don't have the patience to joke around right now. My mens' lives are at stake here, so I need all the intel you know, or I'll take your father's life."

Scott scoffed in amusement, "We both know you need him to get what you want."

"Then what about the girl?" David asked in a sinister tone.

Scott grit his teeth as a devilish grin crept onto David's face.

 _Phoenix?_

"Scott, you don't have enough shield energy for what you're thinking about doing. You're still seriously injured. I'm surprised you're even awake with the burn on your back," Phoenix commented, answering Scott's question.

The boy growled in response, "Fine. I'll tell you on one condition."

David laughed, "My boy, you do know the current position your in here, don't you?"

Scott seethed towards David, "Are you sure you can take on a whole squad of IS users when half of your force is out of service due to me?"

It was David's turn to grit his teeth as he continued to watch Scott, "Alright. What's this one condition?"

"You don't kill my father, or Cecilia. I trust you'll keep up your end of the bargain if I tell you all I know?" Scott responded.

"And what makes you think I won't cross you in this agreement," David grinned.

Scott glanced behind him, painfully, to look at Jacob before turning back to David, "Because your friend here told me you used to be a decent man once."

David briefly scowled at Jacob before turning his attention to Scott once more, "Fine. Tell me what you know, and you're father and friend will be harmed no further."

The boy sighed, _Sorry guys. I don't mean to make this any harder for you_ , he thought, thinking about Ichika and the other girls.

"I don't personally know how many will be headed this way, but it can be a maximum of five other IS users. Two of them specialize in melee combat, while the other three can use both melee and ranged attacks or abilities."

This piqued David's interest, "And why is it that you don't know how many are coming?"

"Because I came here of my own accord, ignoring my teacher's orders to not come alone," Scott explained.

"So... you actually went AWOL to save your father? What about the girl?" David inquired.

Scott shook his head, "No. She was the first one sent to stop me before the others were. She had me at gunpoint an hour before coming here. I... managed to convince her to help me, however it took her too long to make up her mind, so my plan didn't go the way I would've wanted it to," the boy replied.

David had a knowing expression, "Life never goes the way we want, now does it? Anyways, is there anything else you may know?"

Scott took a second to think about it before replying, "No.. not really. I mean, our teacher might try to get third parties involved, but as to who that might be I'm not sure of."

David rested his head on his hand as he inspected Scott. Moments later he waved a hand to Jacob, "Alright. Escort him back to the room, we have a deal Scott."

The boy grinned in pain as he stood up to leave the room with Jacob. Once he was back in the room his father was being held, Jacob chained Scott up once more. But before he left, he was going through his utility belt and pulled out some ointment and bandages in front of Scott's legs, "This, is for your back."

Scott was confused as he looked at Jacob, "How am I going to apply it to my back?"

Jacob didn't answer him, but instead got up and walked over to Cecilia, who was watching him as he loosened her bounds. Jacob had a faint smile across his face as he looked back at Scott, "Well kid, I've got shit to do, so your friend here can apply it for you. Normally I'd do it or have the person who's burnt do it themselves if they can, but considering you're our main hostage along with Hugh, I can't let you loose. Especially with that teleportation ability you have." With that Jacob ordered a few of the mercenaries in the room to follow him as they all left.

Scott stared at the ointment and bandages for a while before turning to Cecilia, "Well... Do you mind?" He inquired.

Cecilia nodded her head as she crawled over to where Scott was and opened the little metal can of ointment, and started rubbing it against Scott's back as he groaned in pain from the burning sensation. His back was unsightly and covered in dried blood from the burns, "You should've just stayed back at the Academy. None of this would've happened, and we could've had your father back by now," Cecilia commented while still applying the cream.

Scott lowered his head in shame, "Yeah, that would not have happened. Sending in Ichika and Houki alone would've been suicide. I barely managed to take out half of his men before being bested."

Cecilia shook her head, "I disagree. They would've scanned the building before entering, and realized they were outnumbered. Houki would've made the call to ask for backup, and they'd be infiltrating the warehouse right about now. But no, you had to be selfish and take the mission on your own, nearly getting killed in the process. What good would it do to save your father if you are killed while doing it?"

Scott could hear the anger and worry in her voice as she scolded him. He lifted his head high, looked out the broken ceiling window, and watched the sky turn a beautiful sky blue, "Huh, to think you'd be the one scolding me..."

Cecilia scowled, "What does that mean? I've always been serious about everything."

Scott tried laughing before he started coughing from the pain it caused, "Uh-huh, everything but cooking."

The British girl didn't take his joke kindly as she started wrapping bandages around his torso, "I'll have you know that I've never really been able to learn any cuisine since I've always had chefs to do it for me," her face had an angry glare as she continued to wrap the bandages, "Forgive me for not being the best cook you've seen."

"Look, I'm sorry for making fun of your cooking, but let's be real here; you're terrible at it."

Cecilia still wasn't happy about Scott making fun of her cooking but let it go, "Then you should teach me how to cook sometime."

Scott thought about it for a moment before nodding his head, "Yeah, I could teach you how to make a few dishes if you'd like." His reply made Cecilia smile as she finished tying his bandages.

The door to the room opened up and David came in with a couple mercenaries, "Retighten the girls bounds, and wake up Hugh for me," he ordered, and his men obeyed.

Cecilia's good mood turned sour at the sight of David, "Just what do you want with us this time?"

"Isn't it obvious. The only thing I've ever wanted was to know where Hugh's work is."

Hugh groaned as he woke up, "And I've told you many times before that I'll never tell you where it is."

David pulled out his knife and put it to Scott's throat, "You'd even sacrifice your son's life to keep it a secret?"

The boy had an angry expression on his face as he looked up at David, "This wasn't a part of our deal."

The latter grinned in response, "You never said I couldn't harm you."

Cecilia was confused by their exchange as she looked between them, "Scott, what does he mean by that?"

David laughed in amusement, "Your boyfriend made a deal with me. He was to tell me all about your friends, and in exchange I was to not harm you or his father," a sinister grin crossed the man's face as he turned to Cecilia, "But he never said I couldn't harm him."

Scott scowled, "I guess I was wrong to trust your friend about your judgement."

David didn't take his words kindly and slid the knife lightly across Scott's throat, drawing blood as a warning, "Speak to me like that again, and it'll pierce the jugular next time."

The boy shut up as he watched David turn his attention back to Hugh. He looked like he was determined this time to get some answers. Scott guessed it was because he was now on a time limit and needed results before the other IS users came, otherwise he would've just wasted his time and have to abandon his mission for the time being.

David took hold of the chains and pulled them higher, forcing Scott to stand, causing his legs to buckle under the weight of his body as he was still weak, and fell to the floor with his arms up. "How much are you willing to endure?" David inquired to Scott.

The boy painfully looked at David, "You're gonna ruin the clean bandages that Jacob just gave me for the wounds you've already made," Scott replied rhetorically.

David ignored Scott's comment and sliced his cheek, causing the boy to jerk his head away in pain. Blood oozed from the wound as Scott glared back at David who had a sinister grin across his face, "I find it amusing when one tries to act tough. Because when I break them, I get to see their true colours. Something they keep hidden, deep within themselves, refusing to acknowledge it." David commented as he wiped the blood from his knife, "I'm curious to see what your true colours are, Scott."

The brown-haired boy scowled, "I don't have any dark secrets of my own that would change anything about me."

David shook his head, "You're not understanding the question."

"Then enlighten me."

The door to the room opened once more and Corey entered, who walked up to David and whispered in his ear. David then turned to Scott, "Sorry, but that'll have to wait. I've got some new company to deal with."

With that David left the room. Scott and Cecilia both looked at each, wondering if it was their friends.

David entered the control room, and looked at the camera screen that Corey set up for the sensors. On the screens showed local police cars entering the area, patrolling the area slowly, "They just get here?"

Corey nodded his head, "I believe they came here to investigate the area. Probably because of all the noise we made with our own weapons, and that girls IS. Those rocket launchers were pretty loud."

David thought about it for the moment, "Get our recon snipers to come back down for the time being while we deal with the police. They shouldn't be hard to deal with, just a nuisance."

"How do you plan on dealing with them?" Corey inquired.

"Get a squad to equip silencers and go with them to deal with the issue."

Corey nodded his head before leaving the office.

* * *

"What did the informants even hear over here? This place has been abandoned for years. Nobody would be around this area," One of the cops in the patrol unit inquired to his partner as he sipped on some morning coffee they bought at the start of their shift.

His partner shook her head, "I don't know, but they seemed concerned about it. They said they heard what sounded like muffled gunshots. It could've been the local rival gangs meeting up to have a shootout."

The first cop didn't believe it, "Why would they have a shootout to prove their strengths this far out from the city? I have a bad feeling about this."

"You always have a bad feeling about every sketchy case we're called to," the second cop sighed.

Both the cops felt something hit the tires as they continued patrolling the area. The first one got out to check what it was, "Aw hell. The front tire is flat Cass, we're gonna need the spare one."

Cass sighed as she got out of the patrol unit too, "Do I have to do everything around here Chris?" She asked as she went to the back of the unit and popped the trunk open.

While she was doing that, Chris was inspecting the tire further, when he noticed the tire didn't naturally become flat. He found a bullet hole in the side of it. "Uhh, Cass. Get back the car, now!"

His partner didn't understand, "What, why? We just need to fix it then we're done."

"No, we need to get out of here, immediately," Chris said in a demanding voice as he opened his side of the vehicle to reach the police comm, "Dispatch, we've got a problem." Chris paused briefly before using the comm again, but was shot in the head. Cass heard the gunshot and looked at her partner to see he was dead, and ran behind the police unit for cover. She slowly crawled her way over the to the unit's front side door, and opened it, hearing the dispatcher, "Unit ninety-three, what's the problem... Unit ninety-three?"

Cass was about to pick up the radio and speak into the comm when she saw a red dot move along the seats of the car to her chest and then her head, causing her to stop, knowing what it was. She then felt a gun be pressed to her head before she heard a voice, "You're going to tell dispatch that everything here is fine and it was a misunderstanding." The man behind her stated and he pushed her head down with the gun.

The woman slowly picked up the radio and took a deep breath before using it, "Dispatch, 10-22. Everything's fine here. Chris was just worried about a flat tire, but we've got it from here."

A few moments passed before the dispatcher responded, "10-4, Unit Ninety-three. Continue your patrol before returning to your usual location, and notify me of anything else."

"10-4," Cass replied before cutting the comm. "What do you want?" She asked after complying with the man's demands.

She heard a sigh come from him, "I want nothing from the police. You just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. It's a shame really. I prefer not to have unnecessary casualties when it comes to our work." He said, causing the woman's eyes to widen as she realized what was gonna happen to her before he shot his gun.

Corey waved his squad to move to the next police units location as he picked up both the officers and threw them in the trunk of the unit, then got into the vehicle, turning the engine on. "To think I'd have to deal with an issue like this, even after choosing our location carefully." Corey sighed in annoyance. "I'll have to keep this in mind next time."

The next unit was nearing the warehouse when Corey pulled up to them, rolling his window down before shooting the driver and passenger. He turned on his earpiece as he rolled the window back up, "Can one of you deal with the unit I just took out and hide the vehicle somewhere, I got blood on the front windows of it. The rest of us can take out the last unit."

"Roger that," one of the mercenaries said as they came out from the dark storage crate they were hiding in.

The last unit was finishing it's patrol when they heard someone knock on their window. The man rolled it down, "May I help you?"

Corey, who was just in a white t-shirt and camo cargo pants, cleared his throat, "Why yes, I seemed to be lost. I took the wrong turn a while back and found myself here, and don't know how to get back to the city."

The policeman laughed, "Don't worry. I can help you with that. Just get in the back and I can drive you back to the city. We just finished some business we were doing in this area, and needed to head back anyway."

Corey gave a fake smile, "Thank you, sir. I've never been to this city before and it's quite big, so big that I managed to get myself lost." He feigned a worried laugh as he got into the back of the car, "I hope my wife isn't too worried about me. I've been gone for a few hours now."

The second policeman chuckled, "Late for lunch with the lady?"

Corey nodded his head, "Yes. I told her I'd find us a nice place to eat lunch at and got lost while doing so."

"Then I recommend a local diner nearby. We'll pass by it once we reach the city. We can show you it before dropping you off. I'm sure you and you're wife would enjoy the place," The first officer commented as he started the engine, and turned the vehicle around.

"Thank you. That'd be very helpful to me," Corey replied as he clicked a button in his pocket.

He then ducked his head behind the drivers seat as the car turned the corner. He heard one of the policeman gasp, "What the.."

The other yelled, "Turn around! Now, they're gonna sho-"

His yelling was cut off by the shooting that ensued, and Corey heard the gurgles and screams of pain of the policemen before they died.

Corey then stepped out of the police unit and waved his men to come over and deal with the dead policemen and the unit, "I need to go retrieve my equipment that I stripped myself of to make that happen. Rendezvous back at the warehouse once you've finished hiding the cars and bodies."

"Got it sir. We'll be back within the hour."

* * *

"Yes, now where we're we Scott?" David asked rhetorically, "Oh right. You were going to tell your father to spill the beans for me. It would really mean a lot to me if you did. I'd owe you one," David continued.

Scott started coughing as he tried laughing, "And I've told you multiple times that I'm not going to. If he's kept secrets from me, then it must've been for good reasons. I'm not one to judge that."

Scott's attitude pissed David off, so he threw a hard right hook to the boys face, causing his mouth to bleed.

David heard Corey over the comm, "Sir, we've dealt with the local police that were patrolling the area, and bought us some time, but it'll only be a couple hours before they send more."

David grunted in annoyance, "Good, get back here and help pack the semi."

"Roger."

Scott grinned as blood dripped from his mouth, "Running out of time now are we?"

David wanted to wipe that grin from Scott's face as he punched the boy some more, bruising him. "If you keep this up, you're pretty face won't be able to attract any girls, Scott."

Scott scoffed, "I've never had any girls find interest in me to start with. I was that one kid in class that was left outside of everything. Treated like an some dangerous alien nobody wanted to be near."

David couldn't help but laugh, "My, you must've had it rough kid. Lost your mother at a young age, and no friends to fill the hole. Not to mention you and your father grew apart. It must've no longer felt like a family for a while I'm sure," he sneered. "Try being used by the government for years on end as tool to get them classified information I was never given access to because it was "dangerous". Then thrown out like unwanted trash when they no longer needed me! Not even recognizing all the hard work I put in for them, for the country I was born and raised in!" David yelled in frustration. "I don't give a damn about your petty family issues you prick. Now get your father to talk!"

"You've lost your cool finally," Hugh commented as he watched David. The latter turning around to look at Hugh, "Don't tempt me." David growled.

"Tell me, who did you say would lose their cool first? Me, right?" Hugh asked mockingly, through the pain it caused him.

"Say one more word," David said, "I dare you."

Hugh tried smiling, but it just looked like he was trying to show his teeth with how distorted his face was, "You said... I'd break. Oh, the irony."

David clenched his teeth as turned back to Scott, "You and your father are irritating."

"Eh, what can I say. It runs in the family," Scott replied.

David was tired of Scott's smart ass remarks thus gave him another hook to the face; blood spurting from his mouth. "Now, listen here you little shit! I'm running out of patience, and need answers. So either get your father to start talking, or your girlfriend will be hurt!" David yelled in frustration at the boy.

Scott's expression changed from his calm, carefree expression to a serious one, "I thought we had a deal?"

David grinned, "I usually like to uphold my promises, but I made another deal with my client prior to _our_ deal, so the one with my client takes priority. I can't go back empty handed, they..." he pulled out his nine-five-seven and cocked the gun before pointing it at Cecilia, who had a fearful look, "dislike that."

"You have until three before I hurt your girlfriend," David said with a cold tone.

"One."

Scott looked at Cecilia who was looking back at him with eyes that pleaded for help.

"Two."

The boy then turned to his father, "Dad. You need to give him something, now!" But Hugh continued to avoid eye contact.

"Three."

David unloaded a couple of shots into Cecilia's legs, earning screams from her as she cried in pain.

Scott couldn't take it; he was tired of these games. He turned to his father once more, determination and anger in his eyes, "I came here to save your ass, because you're the only family I have! It's my fault for involving Cecilia in this mess, but... You are able to stop all of this pain and suffering if you just tell him where your work is!" Scott shouted in frustration. "The only people in this world I care about are you, and the friends I made at the Academy... I don't care if I get hurt because of your mistakes! But I will not let my friends be hurt because of your past!" Scott continued as tears formed in his eyes, "So, you better at least give David a location before I bust out of these chains and beat it out of you myself."

Hugh was shocked to hear his son sound so aggressive towards him, but he knew it was just. Scott had every reason to be mad at him, and Hugh wasn't going to stop it.

"Hugh, I'd listen to your son before he breaks." David suggested with a smug look plastered across his face as he watched Cecilia continue to cry, "I've found his weak spot."

The old man looked between Scott, who looked like he was ready to kill, and Cecilia who was sobbing and she tried moving away from David. The twisted man was enjoying it all.

Hugh took a deep breath before speaking, "It's back home."

David didn't quite catch what he said at first, "What? It's where?"

"I said it's back home."

The Mercenary's face lit up when he heard Hugh, "See, that wasn't so hard. You could've avoided all of this if you had just spoke up in the first place. It would've saved your son from suffering... as well as his unfortunate friend, here."

David knelt down, brushed Cecilia's hair back, and put a finger to his mouth to indicate he wanted her to be quiet, "Now, you be a good girl."

The blonde nodded her head in fear as she shut her quivering mouth. David got back up and turned to Scott, "You did good my boy. I've got a lead to work with now. It's all thanks to you. You should be proud." He patted Scott on the head as he passed by him to leave the room, the latter with a disappointed look on his face, albeit it wasn't directed towards David.

In the main room of the warehouse David came up to the railing and surveyed the building. The semi-truck was fully packed with all their equipment and the last of the wounded were being placed into the transport vehicles. Corey, Jacob and Viktor came up to David, "Everything's ready to go. Just waiting on your orders," Corey said.

Viktor grinned proudly as he slapped Corey's back, "Viktor has finished packing all of our equipment and ready to go when comrade is."

Jacob cleared his throat as he looked at David, "I've tended to all the wounded and stopped any major bleeding, but we need to move them to a better site from which I can perform proper surgery to save them. I recommend we leave before we get caught in another costly fight. Scott, may just be a child, but he seems to have talent, however unrefined it is at the moment."

David grunted in amusement, "You think an ability one relies on solely, is talent... Then you must rethink what talent means to you." He then turned around and walked towards the staircase, "Get everyone to leave at once, we need to find Hugh's work and deliver it to our client."

Jacob raised an eyebrow, "Hm. How'd you get Hugh to talk?"

"I used Scott's friend as a means to an end."

Jacob grit his teeth, knowing what David meant by that. He looked back at the backroom before following David and the other two down the stairs with a sour taste in his mouth.

As David was getting into one of the Black SUVs, Corey stopped him from closing the door, "David, we have trouble. My sensors just picked up signatures, but they seemed to have stopped before reaching the warehouse."

"The IS Academy students?"

"No, I don't think so. I believe it's another third party," Corey explained.

David grit his teeth, "Alright, get all the drivers to move out in formation with the transport vehicles in the middle."

"You want to confuse them?" Corey inquired.

"That's the plan. Having our unit move in formation like we're trying to protect something may lead them to believe we're running away with the hostages, and they won't want to shoot."

"But, what if that backfires and they shoot anyways?"

David scoffed, "Like they'd shoot blindly at us if there's a chance we have the people they came to save."

* * *

It was midday as Sasha landed a few hundred meters away from the warehouse that her CO said the terrorists were said to be hiding. She deactivated her IS as a team of SEALs came up behind her in formation, covering all sides. "Miss, the scan is a bit hazy, but there's at least thirty heat signatures inside the warehouse, none of them seem to being moving. How would you like us to proceed?"

"We're not going to proceed until we see the IS Academy show up. Together we will raid the place with them," Sasha ordered. She turned on a comm from which Bryce appeared, "The Academy students you said that may or may not be here when I arrive aren't present. What would do you want me to do? Should I wait a while for them?"

Bryce thought about it for a moment, "Are the terrorists moving?"

Sasha shook her head, "No, according to the SEALs, they're not moving from their location."

"Alright. Sit tight for fifteen, if the Academy students haven't arrived by then you are to abort the mission and report to me," Bryce ordered before cutting the comm.

Sasha walked over to an abandoned storage crate and sat down as she laid her back against it.

The SEALs with her spread out and positioned themselves to watch over a small perimeter, "We'll keep an eye on the warehouse and tell you of any activity."

"Good. We're only going be here for another fifteen minutes at best if the Academy doesn't show up, then we abort the mission," Sasha explained.

A little later it was nearing the time limit Sasha was given when she heard something headed her way. She got up, putting her arm up to shield her eyes, and saw IS users.

The SEALs all turned their attention to the pilots with their weapons ready, but Sasha put an arm out telling them to stand down, "No need to worry. It's the personal IS users from the Academy."

Ichika, Houki, Laura, Rin and Charlotte all landed near Sasha, "You're the support team?" Houki asked as she looked between Sasha and the SEALs.

The brunette nodded her head, "Yes. We were sent here to help you retrieve your friend and his father. Right now, there's at least thirty heat signatures in the warehouse, though none of them are moving from their position. So we can assume they're expecting us. Which leads me to the next question..."

"How are we going to proceed," Laura finished.

Ichika had a hand to his chin as he thought about it, "We could form a defensive frontline. Laura and Charlotte in the front with their AIC and Garden Curtain."

"That could work. The rest of us can stand behind the two as we advance," Rin agreed.

"Wait. Do we even know what they're equipped with?" Houki inquired.

Everyone looked at each other, wondering if someone knew the answer.

"No," Sasha replied, "Our intel is limited. So we must proceed with utmost caution. I agree with your friend; forming a defensive frontline would be the safest thing to do."

The rest nodded their heads in agreement as they moved into formation, with Charlotte and Laura in the front. Houki, Rin, and Ichika were right behind the two girls while Sasha was behind them with the SEALs.

* * *

David had an open comm while he was waiting inside the back seat of his SUV, "Any changes?"

"Yes, more people have arrived, counting a total of ten; 6 of which are IS pilots. They moving slowly towards the warehouse in their own formation. I assume they believe we're going to fight back," Corey replied, almost laughing at the last part.

"Once they're within a hundred meters of the warehouse, make the call to move out in formation," David ordered.

"Got it."

David sat back in his seat as he waited for the team to move out, as he held his wrist watch in his hand, watching the clock move ever so slowly. Moments later he heard Corey give the signal and his driver started the engine and drove out of the warehouse with the rest. The semi-truck was in the front of the group, with two of the black SUVs on each side of the very back of the trailer, followed by a handful of white vans. And at the end of the formation was the last two black SUVs holding the rear of the group. The SUV David was in, was the one on the left side of the formation as they're escape route was to the left, making it so his vehicle was covered by the semi.

When two of the mercenaries swung the main doors wide open, the vehicles all drove out as they picked up speed. The two that opened the doors also hopped onto the left and right SUVs beside the semi respectively. Once they all left the warehouse, they were quickly met by Ichika and the others, but weren't stopped as Charlotte held an arm out to keep Ichika from charging in recklessly. As David anticipated, they were too afraid of blindly firing at them.

"Huh, your plan actually worked," Corey commented as he looked in the rear view mirror of the SUV he was in.

David had a small grin across his face, "Of course it did. Judging from Scott's response when I threatened his friend, I assumed the rest of them were like that too..." He paused briefly to look in his side mirror and watched the kids enter the warehouse cautiously, "They'd never want to harm their own friends."

* * *

Scott was watching Cecilia carefully. The girl was laying on the floor in the fetal position, a small pool of blood formed around her legs. She had her eyes closed as she felt dizzy from the blood loss. Behind Scott, the door opened and Ichika entered, followed by the rest of the gang. They were in their IS suits and looked worried as they rushed towards Scott and Cecilia; untying their chains and bounds.

Once Scott was free from his bounds he rushed over to Cecilia, he got down on his knees and applied pressure to the gunshot wounds on her legs, "Could somebody get me some gauze or a cloth?"

The others didn't know what to do as they didn't have anything, so one of the SEALs came up to Scott and helped him out, pulling out gauze and medical tools beside Cecilia as they sat down. The boy looked at the SEAL and noticed a medical cross on his vest and helmet, indicating he was a medical officer.

"Keep applying pressure on that leg while I examine the wounds. I need to know if the bullets are still in her legs before I can patch them," the medical officer ordered as he examined the wound on her left leg before taking a pair of medical tweezers to pull out two bullets, earning screams from Cecilia due to the pain of stretching the wound to reach the bullets. He then handed Scott some gauze, "You can tie this around her wound while I work on her next leg."

Scott complied and tied the gauze around the girls leg as he watched the officer repeat the same process of opening her wound slightly to see if the bullets were still inside her leg, then using tweezers to get them out; causing Cecilia to scream in pain some more before he tied gauze around her other leg.

While Scott was busy helping the medical officer, the others noticed the blood stained bandages around his torso, and couldn't help but feel sorry. They couldn't imagine what sort of pain he was put through.

"Could you guys help my father?" Scott asked as him and the medical officer both helped Cecilia on her feet.

They looked past Scott and Cecilia, and noticed the boy's father; bloodied, scarred, bruised, exhausted, and malnourished.

Rin and Houki went to help him out of his chair, but soon turned back to Scott, "His cuffs won't come undone." Rin commented.

"The keys are probably in the office you guys passed by on the way to the room," Scott replied back as him, Cecilia and the medical SEAL started walking towards the door.

Charlotte turned around the room, waving for the two girls to stay, "I can go find the keys."

After everyone got out of the warehouse, they all headed towards the city.

"As I'm sure you're aware, we need to get your friend to a hospital before she loses anymore blood, so her wounds may be closed properly." The medical SEAL suggested to Scott as they continued walking.

"Yeah, I know. We all need some proper medical attention," Scott replied back.

"I could take over for you, Scott. You're injured yourself, so you shouldn't be pushing yourself too hard. You could reopen a wound," Charlotte suggested as she increased her pace to keep up with the boy.

Scott smiled in return, "Sure. I'd like to talk to my father about something anyways."

The two switched places as Charlotte took Cecilia's arm and wrapped it around the back of her neck for support as she continued walking. Scott on the other hand stepped out of the way, and slowed his pace so he was walking beside Houki and his father.

"Houki, do you mind if I help my father?" Scott inquired.

The girl looked at her friend, unsure if she should let Scott do it himself, given his injuries, "Are you certain it won't affect you too much?"

Scott laughed, hiding the pain he felt when he did, "I'm fine. Nothing I can't handle."

Houki still was skeptical, but nonetheless handed Scott's father over to him. The boy supported his father as they walked together.

"Never thought I'd hear you raise your voice against me like that before," Hugh commented humbly.

Scott scoffed, "I... I was pissed. This whole mess, has me lost. I, don't know what to believe anymore."

Hugh understood how his son felt. That same feeling he felt back when his wife died, he was unsure of what to do after moving away to a new location with Scott. He didn't know if he could trust any government. It was the same familiar feeling he's had for the past four years. "I'll tell you something you should know, so you can understand the situation I've been in for the past four years. A situation you will soon find yourself in," Hugh said. Scott leaned in closer so he wouldn't miss anything. "Everything you want to know about me and your mother before she died is hidden in my room back at home. In my closet there's a false back that will contain a video explaining everything to you. I made it just as you joined the Academy..." Scott's father took a brief moment to catch his breath before continuing, "As for my work. The prototypes I made are in the old attic. Been locked up there since we moved. Though, I never would have thought that you'd try to make a model similar to mine." Hugh chuckled before coughing from the pain.

Scott was confused by the whole thing, "What do you mean I made a model similar to yours?"

Hugh grinned, "You don't think someone else has tried creating a senti-" A loud bang was heard.

Scott's ears rang as he watched his father collapse to the gravel they were walking on. A small pool of blood emerged from his father's body. A gunshot wound was on Hugh's chest, and it was evident the bullet was still in him. Scott looked down in horror, watching the pool grow larger. Blood stained Scott's right side of his face from the initial impact. The boy fell to his knees, tears filling his eyes as he looked at the body on the ground, his father, "No... No, no, no! This... This can't be happening," Scott said in a distraught voice.

The rest of the group all surrounded Scott and his father, with either their mouths agape or heads turned from the vivid scene in front of them. The medical officer rushed over to try and evaluate the situation, calling for Scott to help him, as the boy seemed to have a small amount of medical practice himself. But the boy was too far gone. He lost his sense of reality, as the life in his eyes disappeared, "They're... gone." Scott mumbled, still staring as his father's body.

"Scott. You need to get a grip. There still might be a chance to save him if he's still alive," Houki urged as she shook the boy. But he didn't move. It was like he didn't even acknowledge her presence.

"My parents... are gone. Dead, killed," Scott continued to mumble, "Killed for reasons I don't know of." His tears stopped as he came to a realization, "Reasons... I should know of."

He activated his IS, helmet, arms, chest piece and wings; got up and looked towards the city's roofs near the edge. Scott managed to get a small screen to pop up and zoom in on a glint he saw briefly. The image on his screen showed one of David's mercenaries packing up their sniper rifle. The next moment Scott disappeared from the group as he made consecutive blinks to reach the roof of the building the mercenary was on. His helmet was half shattered from the explosions earlier in the day, the blood on his face showing. And his wings looked torn, and tattered. The large burn on his back caused his skin to become raw, and broke open due to the dimensional pressure from teleporting so quickly and consecutively, causing blood to stain his bandages more.

Scott stood behind the mercenary, watching the man. When he turned around, the man was frightened to find Scott standing there, with a lifeless expression, both on his face and in his eyes. The mercenary stumbled backwards, "H-How'd you get here?! Or even know where I was for that matter?" The mercenary asked, pulling out his handgun and shooting at Scott, unloading his clip. But none of the bullets actually hit Scott as his absolute defense was still active, however little shield energy Scott had left.

The boy looked down on the man with the same expression as before, "I saw the glint the sun created from you rifle's barrel as you were putting it away. And I'm sure you know of my teleport ability. You were one of the men in the warehouse, were you not?" Scott replied.

The man trembled in horror, Scott was hovering over him like a fallen angel with nothing to lose, devoid of life. "Say, does your company always do things like this? Kidnap, interrogate, and then assassinate your targets?"

"Y-Yes! It's all a part of James' plan! It's cruel, but it's just a means to an end. Now please, spare my life," The mercenary pleaded.

Scott walked over to the man, knelt down, and brought his face close to him, "Did you ever spare one of your victims lives before?" Scott whispered as he took the handgun from the mercenary's hands. The latter had no response, and just swallowed, preparing for the worst.

Scott's mouth twitched, a small grin appearing on his face, "Didn't think so." He took a fresh clip from the man's utility belt, loaded it into the gun, and stood up. Hovering over the mercenary, Scott shot the man a couple times in the leg, his grin turning malicious, "Then, in what world should I have to be merciful to someone that never been merciful to their own victims."

Scott was just about to shoot again when Cecilia fell on top of him, causing the bullet to go wide and miss the mercenary's head. The blonde girl had her arms wrapped around his neck as she buried her face into his chest whilst Scott fell to the ground, half-catching her unwittingly. "We're still here for you."

"... I'm still here for you!" She pleaded.

Scott was caught off guard as he continued to hold Cecilia, deactivating his IS as he fell to the floor with her. His expression changed, reverting to his usual self, after hearing his British friend. He focused on where he was looking and realized he almost killed someone, and turned to look at the girl in his arms. Above him, Scott heard the hovering of IS machines and looked up, finding his friends, "You all came, huh." A small, shameful smile crossing his face.

"Of course we did! You're our friend, we care about you. Listen to Cecilia; we're still here for you. None of us want you to go through the same situation from before," Rin explained as Ichika and the girls landed near Scott. The others all nodded their heads in agreement.

The next moment everyone heard a radio turn on and create a static noise. They all looked towards the still scared mercenary, "Hey, hand over your radio," Houki ordered, and the mercenary complied quickly.

The samurai girl turned the knob until a voice was clearly heard.

"Are you able to hear me, Scott?" A familiar voice spoke over the radio.

"Good, I would like it if you were to let the mercenary with you go. He's a very valuable sniper, irreplaceable if you may," David continued. "I do believe there are more... pressing matters at hand, no?"

Scott was confused by what he meant as he got up from the ground, Cecilia down by his feet, "I don't follow."

David laughed on the other end of the radio before catching his breath, "I did say the sniper you caught is valuable, right? Then that should indicate that I consider him to be of great skill at his profession."

The boy just realized what David was talking about as he glanced down to where his father was, "You mean?!"

"Indeed. Your father should still be alive, however short that may be," David answered. "But, I do haver to say I'm very interested in you now. I've seen a glimpse of the real you, and it has piqued my interest."

"What do you mean?! And why does my father interest you so much too?" Scott inquired, but no response was given. He looked back at the warehouse where his father was, "We need to go back and help my father."

The group nodded in agreement as Houki walked up to Scott, and put a hand on his shoulder, "We can handle your father. You two should go ahead of us and get to the nearest hospital, we'll be right behind you with your father."

Scott gave a smile before Houki activated her IS once more and flew off, leaving the two alone. The brown-haired boy knelt down to be near Cecilia's height as she was sitting on the ground, "You need some help, right?"

Cecilia nodded her head as Scott picked the girl up bridal style, causing her to blush a light pink, "D-Doesn't this hurt you?" Cecilia asked in a sheepish voice.

"Not really. I'm kind of used to the pain at the moment, so I don't really feel it," Scott replied back as he stood up and walked over to the edge of the building, looking over the railing. He glanced back at Cecilia, "You're not gonna like this, but I'm going to have to use my blink to bring us back down. My wing thrusters aren't working."

Cecilia's face turned blue at the memory of her last time using his blink, "Y-You sure that's the only way."

Scott couldn't hide a grin that crossed his face, "Don't worry," He laughed. "You got me. It'll be fine, trust me."

Cecilia gripped his necked as she clung to him, closing her eyes, "Alright. I'm ready when you are!" She shouted in a half scared tone.

But her friend couldn't hold in his laughter, "We're already at ground level."

Cecilia didn't believe him as he continued to laugh, so she opened her eyes and saw that she was indeed on the ground. "But, how?..."

"I told you before; your first time is the worst. In turn, you get used to it, so you shouldn't be throwing up any time soon."

Cecilia pouted as she crossed her arms, "Then how come you made me get scared if nothing was going to happen?!"

"I just thought I'd give a polite warning before using it, like last time," Scott commented in return.

"You gave the 'warning' to the wrong person las-" Cecilia tried yelling, but suddenly felt dizzy and lightheaded, causing her to stop speaking. She was sweating and had a red face.

Scott understood that she was starting to be affected by her blood loss, as he glanced in the distance to see that Ichika and the gang had got back to his father. He was being put in the back of an ambulance that Sasha had called for.

Scott was closer to the city as he was at the bottom of one of the outer large apartment buildings. He turned around and started walking, _Phoenix?_

"Yes. I'm here. Need directions to the closest hospital, correct?" The AI answered.

 _Correct,_ The boy replied.

Scott faltered a little, as the world for him spun around temporarily, "I must be affected from blood loss too."

"I don't feel so good," Cecilia complained.

"I know, we'll be at a hospital soon. Hang in there," Scott said in a comforting tone.

* * *

And now the author shall abruptly end the chapter. Because I can. Hehehe!

I, really don't want to get into a hospital scene with Cecilia, Scott and Hugh's injuries. Cops and the military is enough for me.

Uh, where to start, where to start... Right, sorry about the 9 month delay between chapters! xD I'm not dead, just dealing with shit *cough* writer's block *cough* and life like a normal human being always does.

I can't help but feel this chapter is subpar, considering it took me so long to write it, so some feedback would be nice. Again sorry for the wait, I'll try to get the next chapter out asap, before another 9 months elapse.

Ahem. Unkept promises aside, we now have multiple parties revealed to us (you, I mean you), so tell me what you think. Next chapter will be a "closure" chapter of this whole incident, and we'll move onto to Season 2. Please, favourite, follow and review to your liking. Now if you would excuse me I need some sleep.


	13. An Unforgotten Past

"Talking"

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 **An Unforgotten Past**

* * *

Scott was standing in the bathroom of his hospital room as he stared in the mirror, tracing his hand along the scar that formed from the wound David created across the boy's right cheek. He clenched his teeth as he glared at himself. The young man's bare chest was visible as the hospital gown was currently taken off. Bandages were riddled all over his torso to heal his back, which was also severely scarred. The skin on his back was peeling and bleeding over the past two weeks as it was trying to heal the scarred wounds. It resulted in him having to change the bandages around his torso on a daily basis.

The boy unravelled his bandages and turned around so he could see his back in the mirror, seeing that most of the wound had turned into scars by now. Tracing his fingers over the scarring he scowled once more before dabbing a wet cloth over his back to clean it. Once he finished, the boy wrapped new bandages around his torso then left the bathroom as he put his gown back on.

He walked over to his bedside table, opened a bottle of pain killers, and took a couple with some water before he heard his hospital door open. Cecilia entered, using a crutch to walk.

The British girl had bandages of her own wrapped around her legs. She walked over to Scott's bed and sat down on it.

Scott walked over and sat down with her, "Good afternoon."

Cecilia moaned in annoyance, "How long are we going to be stuck here for?"

"Until our wounds are completely healed. Both of us had pretty serious wounds that needed immediate medical attention," Scott explained as he glanced at the girl beside him.

She had her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands, "But, the food here is terrible. And the beds are so uncomfortable. I can't stand it." Cecilia complained.

Scott couldn't help but laugh as he looked out his window, "You sure do complain a lot."

Cecilia pouted as she sat up properly, "You know it's true. The food and bedding here is pretty bad."

The brown-haired boy used his palms to feel the material of the bed, "Yeah, but I've slept at a computer desk so many times that it doesn't bother me."

"But I'm of a wealthy family! I shouldn't be stuck in some cheap hospital," Cecilia complained some more.

Scott sighed, "You know, you can be a real pain sometimes." He got up from his bed, and walked over to the hospital door leading to the hallway, "The school is the one paying for our treatment, it's no surprise we'd be checked into a small hospital with outdated equipment." He turned back Cecilia, "I'm going to visit my father... Would you like to come?" Scott inquired.

The girl stood up with her crutch and walked over to him, smiling "Of course."

The two of them walked down the hallway until they reached one of the doors, stopping in front of it. Scott opened it up and walked in with Cecilia behind him. He entered to find his father's nurse changing the IV drip hooked up, "Any changes?" Scott asked.

The nurse shook her head, "I'm afraid not. He's still out of it." The lady replied before quickly finishing her work and left the room.

Scott walked over to one of the chairs by the bed and sat down, he looked over at his father; the man was pale, and his body looked frail from malnourishment. A mask was placed over Hugh's face to give him oxygen, and an IV machine was hooked up to his arm. "Hey, Dad... How's it going?... I'm doing okay. Today I checked my burn again, and it looks like it's almost completely healed. Which means I'll be out in a couple of days."

Scott sat in silence with Cecilia for a while before he gave a melancholy laugh, "To think you'd get kidnapped after I enroll at the IS Academy... I never would've guessed that you were trying to hide all these years..." He paused briefly as he looked out his father's hospital window, "And yet, you let me join; knowing what kind of price you'd have to pay for doing it..." He started to choke on his words as he spoke, tears escaping his eyes.

Cecilia put a hand on Scott shoulder to comfort him, "It's okay. Your father will come to. It'll just take some time."

The door to the room opened up the next moment, and Hugh's main doctor walked in, "Oh, it's you again Scott. Nice, just the person I wanted to see." The doctor walked over to Scott and shook his hand before clearing their throat, "I came to inform you about your father.. I'm sure you've already noticed by now, but he's not waking up anytime soon."

"So he's in a coma?" Cecilia inquired as she looked at Hugh.

The doctor nodded their head, "Correct. He was lucky enough to have survived surgery, but it seems the whole situation has shocked his body, and is now in comatose."

Scott wiped his tears then rested his head in his hands as he looked at his father's unmoving body, hearing the noise of the life support machine, "And you're sure there's no way to wake him up?"

"No, there's no way we will be able to wake Hugh up. That'll be up to him and him alone," The doctor replied.

Scott waved his hand, indicating he understood, allowing the doctor to leave the room.

* * *

A few more days passed before Scott and Cecilia were discharged from the hospital.

Scott stretched his arms out as he yawned, "Shall we get going?"

"To the Academy?" Cecilia inquired as she followed the boy along the sidewalk.

Scott laughed, "No, to my house. I'm going to be taking an airplane back to Canada. I got permission from Chifuyu."

"But you're only sixteen, they're not gonna let you on the plane alone. You'll need a guardian," Cecilia commented as they continued walking.

The boy waved a hand at a taxi, which turned off to stop near them, "I've got that covered. My guardian is already waiting at the airport," he said as he opened the back seat of the taxi, motioning Cecilia to enter first.

Cecilia got into the taxi and Scott followed, giving the driver their destination. Scott turned to Cecilia, "So, what are you gonna do now? You can head back to the Academy before me if you'd like."

The girl shook her head in disagreement, "No, I'm coming with you to Canada. We can find out what it was the mercenaries wanted from your father together."

Scott smiled as he looked to the front of the cab as it started, "How long until we reach the airport?"

The cab driver looked at Scott through the rear view mirror, "We should be there within an hour."

Later when they reached the airport, Scott climbed out after waking Cecilia up from her nap, "We're here. Now, time to find Susan." The boy stated as he started walking towards the huge crowds at the airport.

Cecilia quickly followed suit as she looked around before tugging at Scott's shirt, stopping the boy, "You alright?"

The girl nodded her head with a blush, "Yeah. Just worried I might get lost."

Scott grinned as he slowed his pace so he was walking beside Cecilia, "Don't worry. I'm here with you."

It took a while, but after getting directions and following the signs, Scott and Cecilia both managed to find the section of the airport where the plane to Canada was departing. Susan was waiting there for him, and gave him his ticket as she looked at Cecilia, "Who is she?"

Scott looked between the two women, "Susan, this is Cecilia Alcott, the English Representative for the IS. And Cecilia, this is Susan Smith; my temporary guardian, and agent that watches over me as the Canadian Representative."

Both women shake hands briefly, "Is she coming with us?" Susan asked.

Scott nodded his head as he waved an extra flight ticket in the air, "Mhm, I bought her a ticket since she wanted to come with me. I hope you don't mind the extra company; she can be a handful."

Cecilia didn't like his comment and stepped on his toes, "I'm not that big a handful." She pouted.

Scott on the other hand groaned in pain momentarily, "Oh trust me. You can be a handful sometimes, but it's one of your charms."

His British friend still wasn't too happy about his comment as she walked passed Scott, took her ticket and entered the bridge to board the plane without him.

Susan couldn't help but smile in amusement, "So you've got yourself a girl now? I thought mastering the IS was your goal, not affections."

Scott nearly choked out of embarrassment, "No, no! We're not dating."

"Yet," Susan finished with a sly grin, ignoring Scott's glare as she walked passed him as well.

Once they were all on board the plane, the departure soon took place as they all sat in their seats. Scott was in between the two women, Cecilia was taking a nap while Susan was looking over data on her pad.

Susan cleared her throat just enough for Scott to hear, "So, do you know anything about your father's work?"

Scott looked at Susan, "No. All I know is that it was all back at our home."

"I see. He was very careful not give out too much information on it, huh," Susan mumbled. "I'll tell you the small amount I know about it... As far as I know, the work he did overseas was meant to revolutionize the IS, supposedly."

Scott took this in as he listened carefully, nodding his head, "Was that it though? Sounded like there was more work my father did that David wanted."

Susan looked out the window of the plane, lost in thought, "I wouldn't be surprised if your father had more hidden work. Him and his wife were the leading scientists for the IS after Tabane Shinonono disappeared. He kept spouting non-sense; saying he found out a way that men can operate an IS..." Susan gave a small laugh, "I didn't believe him at the time."

"What about now?" Scott inquired.

Susan looked at the boy and inspected him, "You mean about men being able to operate the IS?" Scott nodded his head in response.

"I still find it hard to believe, but with you managing to build your own IS and Ichika also being able to use one innately; it wouldn't surprise me if your father truly has found a way for men to operate the IS like he said all those years ago."

"Was there anything else you knew, regarding my father's work?" The boy asked.

"No. You're father stopped contacting me shortly before your mother died. It was strange..." Susan replied.

Scott was trying to process the information, "What would I have done if I were a part of the IS project..."

"You would've done your best to make your own IS, and you have," Susan replied with a smile. "Forget it for now. Just enjoy the flight."

Scott listened, and rested his head against his seat as he closed his eyes.

 _Scott was sitting at the window seat of the airplane, and was looking out the window at the city below him; Glowing in bright lights as vehicles and pedestrians were all trying to get home after a long day of work. Tokyo was a vibrant, lively city at night. The little nine year-old boy couldn't help but stare in awe at the city as the plane was landing._

 _He turned back to his father with a big smile across his face, "Is this our new home?"_

 _Hugh smiled back at his son, "Of course. Your mother and I were offered to work on an important project that involves the entire world."_

 _Scott's mouth was agape, "The entire world?!"_ _He climbed over his father and ran to his mother, who was a seat behind them, "Mom, is that true? You and Dad were offered to work on something that big?"_

 _His mother gave him a warm smile, "Yes, it's called an IS. A big machine a person could operate."_

 _Hugh came up behind Scott and picked the boy up in a big hug, "Hey kiddo. It's time to get off the plane. Help your mother and I carry the luggage."_

 _Scott was giggling as his father tickled him, "Ok, ok, ok! Stop it! I'll help!"_ _His father put him down, and Scott grabbed one of the bags to carry as they all left the plane._

 _The little boy grabbed his father's handheld suitcase and lugged it across the floor as his parents took the rest of their carry-on luggage._

 _When they all got off the plane Scott saw a group of Japanese men talking to his parents as he hid behind his mother, gripping her dress, "Mom, who are they?"_

 _His mother put a reassuring hand on his head as she gave him a warm smile, "No need to fret, Scott. These are the people we will being working for from now on."_

 _Scott didn't fully understand, but his mother's voice was enough to put him at ease._

"Scott, wake up. We're here." Cecilia said as she gently shook the boy to wake him up.

Scott rubbed his eyes as he looked out the window of the plane, it was morning, "We're home already?"

"Your home," Cecilia corrected.

"Right."

Both students got off the plane and met up with Susan who got off before them.

"Shall we head to your house now?" Susan inquired to Scott.

The boy nodded his head, "Yeah. I'd like to know what's going on. I can call us a cab. It's not too far from here." He said as he pulled out his phone.

Cecilia on the other hand looked uncomfortable. Scott noticed this and decided to ask, "Are you alright?"

The blonde girl nodded her head, "Mhm. I'm fine. No need to worry."

* * *

The trio made it to Scott's house as they got out of the cab and looked at the taped off building. They passed the yellow tape and entered his home, closing the door behind them. The inside of the house looked like a mess as it was torn apart, indicating that David and his men had already been at his place.

"So where's your father's room?" Susan asked.

Scott pointed down the hallway to the door at the end, "It's that one."

Both Susan and Scott went over to his father's room while Cecilia trailed behind them. Scott opened the door to find his father's room was also a huge mess, and the closet was open too. He walked over to it and found the false back was also found open.

Susan scowled, "What now?"

Scott wasn't happy either as he rummaged through the hidden area, "I don't know. He said there was a video for me."

Cecilia was walking around the room looking at the place, "You sure David didn't take it?"

"That could be a definite possibility," Scott replied.

He then accidently pressed something and a hologram popped up. It was Hugh.

"If you're watching this, then that means I'm most likely dead by now," Hugh stated.

The boy got up and left the closet, "Coma... You're in a coma," He corrected the video in a surprisingly calm tone.

"Since you're watching this, then you want to know more about my past and the work your mother and I did," The video continued. "Seven years ago, your mother and I were offered to study the black boxes that Tabane Shinonono created for the IS, after she had disappeared. Seeing as it was a huge opportunity; we couldn't pass it up, so we agreed to take the job."

Scott nodded his head, "Yeah... I remember that now, but what exactly were you doing?"

"I was directly assigned to studying the black boxes while your mother was assigned to coding the IS machines and their armaments... We were both scientists, working on machines that were created through means of science we didn't know of. Our job was to understand it, and improve upon it... At least, mine was."

Cecilia was confused, "What does he mean by that, Scott?"

But the boy put a finger to his mouth as he continued watching the hologram speak.

"I was to understand and improve upon the basis of the core of an IS; leading me to create an Artificial Intelligence. Five prototypes to be exact. I created them as a purpose to be the shell of what we called the conscious of the IS black boxes that gradually connect with, and understand us. On top of all that, I also found a way to theoretically imbed genetic coding into the black boxes that allow them to connect and respond with male pilots; however I was never able to test them out, and decided to pass a few of them, along with a couple of my prototype AI shells, on to a close colleague of mine, Jonathan, in hopes he'd succeed. I kept a few of the AI prototypes and the genetic codes with me and they're currently in the attic, buried underneath all the boxes I have up there."

Scott turned to Cecilia as he waved a hand for her to go and see if they were there.

"Your mother, she was a scientist that was assigned not only to coding the machine so they may work properly, but also it's armaments. And eventually was asked to also make the armaments as well, since she was so good at her job," Hugh explained. He then took a brief moment to think things over before continuing, "Which... lead to her hating the world's demand for weaponry. She wanted to end it all, and through speculations between her and I; she managed to create something that never should've-"

Scott cut the video, shutting the hologram off, "That's enough." He said as he took the chip out and put it in his pocket.

Susan was flustered by his actions, "Didn't you want to know the rest?!"

Scott shook his head as he left the room, "I have a good idea as to what he was getting at."

"Then tell me. I'd like to know too, he used to be a close friend of mine," Susan inquired, following the boy to his attic.

"I'm afraid I can't. It's best you not know, for your own safety," Scott replied calmly as he looked up into his open attic, "Did you find anything, Cecilia?"

It took a moment, but the British girl appeared as she climbed down from the attic, "Yes. Though I only managed to find one. Your attic seemed to have been rummaged through as well, and they found the case containing the AI shells. David though, seemed to be kind enough to leave you one."

"What about the genetic coding? There must of been a chip for that up there as well?" Scott inquired

"No, I didn't find anything other than this AI chip," Cecilia replied as she handed the AI shell over, which was about the same size as Phoenix's chip.

Susan walked over to the front door, ready to open it, "Shall we head back to the airport so you two may return to Japan then?"

Scott and Cecilia both looked at each other before turning back to Susan and both shook their heads. "I need some more time." Scott replied.

Cecilia nodded her head, "I'd like a nice change of clothes. I've been in the same attire for a couple days now. Taking a pair of clothes from the lost and found in that hospital isn't good enough. It would be nice if we could go out to buy some new ones."

The blonde agent shook her head as she turned to go to the living room, "Fine. We can wait a little longer."

Cecilia clapped her hands briefly as she turned to Scott, "So, where's the shower? I'd like to take one."

Scott scratched the back of his neck, "It's just down the hall, first door to your left." His friend walked past him and followed his directions.

The boy climbed into his attic, and found that Cecilia wasn't kidding about David and his men rummaging through the place. The entire attic looked like it was turned upside down, a complete mess. He started searching the small area, before he found the case Cecilia was talking about. There was indeed enough holders in it for three AI's. But the case felt too big for Scott, considering the small size of the AI chips. So Scott traced his fingers along the inside seams of the case, until he felt them drop a little indicating there was a false back. The boy gripped the fabric and pulled it off, revealing a small box inside. He took it out, and opened it, and found what looked like an unfinished piece of tech. "So you did keep it, huh. Figures." Scott mumbled to himself as he placed the tech back into the box. He climbed back downstairs and went to his room, closing the door behind him and hid the box inside his dresser, underneath the clothing he put back in for now.

He then left his room, and went to the bathroom, and knocked on the door, "Cecilia, do you need a towel and a clean change of clothing?"

He could hear the shower going, and waited for a response. "Cecilia?"

"Hm? Oh, yes. Could you get me both. I rushed in here without thinking about that," The blonde girl replied.

Scott nodded to himself as he opened a closet in the hallway and took out a towel, then entered his room once more and took a clean shirt and a pair of sweat pants out. He walked back to his bathroom door, knocking once more, "Cecilia, I'm coming in to put the towel and change of clothes on the counter." The boy warned before opening the door to a now steamy bathroom. He placed the things on the counter as he said, then briefly glanced at the shower, seeing a rough outline of Cecilia's figure behind the frosted glass before he closed the door and went into the kitchen.

In there he did his best to try and clean the mess David and his crew made, before he took out a can of coffee grinds and put it into the coffee machine, turning it on. Scott then entered the living room to see Susan sitting on one of his couches, "Can you get us tickets to Japan by tonight?" Scott asked as he sat down and looked out the living room window and watched as the sun rose to it's highest point in the sky.

"Of course." Susan replied as she turned to the boy, "Why? Do you not intend to stay here for a little while?"

Scott shook his head, "No. I got what I need. I'm just letting Cecilia get herself ready. She's been through a lot."

"You've both been through a lot. I can't imagine being tortured like you or your father were," Susan commented.

Scott gave a humble laugh, "I can't deny that. But it happened due to my selfishness, so I have no right to complain about it... And I feel bad that I dragged Cecilia into it too."

Susan gave him a smile, "You sure have changed since I met you back when Canada first hired your parents as scientists; you're no longer that scared little boy, who'd hide behind his mother."

Scott shook his head at the remark before he got up to get the coffee since the timer went off. He came back out with two cups in hand and gave one to Susan, then sat down and sipped on his briefly.

"You really care for your friend, don't you?" Susan inquired as she watched Scott.

Scott looked back at the woman and nodded his head, "Of course. I believe that should be a given. Cecilia and the rest of my friends have always done their best to reach out to me when I needed them the most, even when I pushed them away. I'd like to return the favour and be there for them when they need it." His agent had a small smile appear as she heard his words.

Both of them heard a door close down the hallway and watched Cecilia walk into the living room, wearing the clothing Scott gave her. It was a plain black T-shirt with a quote, "Don't waste your beautiful mind doing ugly things." The sweat pants she was wearing were grey and baggy on her, and she had her wet hair down and her blue headband was taken off for the time being while Cecilia's hair dried. Scott looked at her and was surprised by the slight change in appearance. It felt nice as she still looked beautiful, but didn't have the same noble feeling that she usually gave off.

"Well, you feel better now that you're all cleaned up?" Scott inquired as he got up and went back into the kitchen.

Cecilia happily nodded her head as she sat on one of the couches, "Yes," she said in a blissful tone.

"Good. We're gonna go shopping for some clothing for you. I'm sure mine isn't the best, but it works for now." Scott stated as he went into the cupboard to grab another mug, "Do you drink coffee?"

Cecilia shook her head, "No, I don't like the strong, bitter taste of coffee. I prefer tea."

The brown-haired boy put away the mug he took out and sat back down, "Just let me finish mine, and we'll head out then."

"What about Susan?" Cecilia asked.

"I'll be doing some work related stuff while you two go out shopping. Come back to the house when you're finished," The woman replied as she finished her coffee. She then got up and left the house for before the other two.

Scott soon finished his own coffee and then went into his room to change, putting on a pair of blue jeans and a plain white T-shirt. He came back out in his new set of clothes and both students put their shoes on, and left the house.

* * *

Scott was currently walking around one of the women's clothing stores in his city's mall, checking out the dresses and clothing, however brief. Cecilia was close by doing the same thing as they both looked for some clothing to buy for the girl. Scott found a light blue one-piece summer dress that reached down to the knees and picked it out, "This looks good," he said as he turned around to show Cecilia the dress as he held it out.

Cecilia took the dress, and then walked over to a mannequin, taking the summer hat it had, and a denim jacket. She then turned back to Scott and held them over her body, "How does it look?"

"It looks nice. I like it," Scott commented. Cecilia then went over to the changing room while Scott trailed behind her.

Whilst he was waiting he noticed other girls staring at him as they gossiped. The boy paid no heed to it though. Soon Cecilia came back out with the outfit on, and looked stunning. Scott was blown away by it as he stared at the girl, "So.. How is it?" She asked curiously as she twirled around.

"I uh, I don't know what to say... It looks great. I was speechless for a moment," Scott answered.

The girl smiled as she went back into the change room to get the clothing Scott gave her earlier. She came back out and went over to the register as Scott followed. After paying for the clothing, Cecilia put the other clothes she was wearing before into the bag she was given by the store clerk.

"Where would you recommend to eat lunch at?" Cecilia asked the boy as they both left the clothing store.

Scott thought about it for a moment before he beckoned his friend to follow as he lead the way. They left the mall and walked across the parking lot towards the strip mall across the street. Scott opened up the door to a café, letting Cecilia enter first. "So, what would you like here? For drinks they have coffee, tea, iced tea, hot chocolate, even some milkshakes," Scott inquired.

"What about their food?" Cecilia asked.

The boy pointed to the case that held samples of their food, "They have all kinds of breakfast sandwiches, croissants, bagels... They even have freshly baked biscuits they make each morning."

Soon it was their turn in line to order as Cecilia walked up to the counter, "May I get one of your recommended teas, with a couple of your biscuits?"

"Of course. And what would you like, sir?" The cashier said.

"Oh, I'd just like some iced tea, and your BLT breakfast sandwich," Scott replied.

The cashier put in their orders before he turned back to them, "That'll be a total of fourteen dollars and fifty-six cents. Now will that be cash or debit?"

Scott took out his wallet and hands over fifteen dollars, "I'll pay with cash."

Both Cecilia and Scott then walk over to a table for two near the window. Scott was watching all the pedestrians walk along the road and sidewalks, while Cecilia was watching Scott. His expression seemed calm and carefree like it normally was, but she could see the seriousness in the boy's eyes, "Are you okay, Scott?" She asked.

Scott turned to her, "Hm? Yeah... I'm just worried about you, and the others.. I don't want anyone else getting hurt because of my family's past... Hell, I never should've convinced you to help me. Then you never would've got hurt, and we wouldn't be in this mess... It's all my fault," he said as he went back to watching the people on the streets.

Cecilia put a hand on top of Scott's, earning his attention once more, " _I_ was the one who chose to come help you. It was _my_ decision. It wasn't your fault that I got hurt. There was nothing you could do."

"You say that, but it doesn't help me feel any better. I was being selfish; thinking for myself at the time and ended up getting you hurt in the process. It's almost like the Gospel situation all over again. I should've just stayed back at the Academy, and none of the pain you or I suffered would've happened."

"This is nothing like the Gospel. This whole thing was about saving your father; your only family left. Not stopping a rampant unmanned IS," Cecilia reassured.

"You could've been killed though. And... I wouldn't even know how to live with myself if you were," Scott finished as he put his hands to his face in shame.

"One regular green tea with two biscuits, and an iced tea with a breakfast BLT!" One of the staff members called out as they set the order on the counter. Cecilia got up to grab their order. She was about to take it back to their seats when she saw Scott still distressed, so she turned around, "Excuse me. May I get these to go?"

"Sure," The café employee replied as they put the food in a bag and handed it to Cecilia. "Have a nice day," they said as Cecilia walked over to her friend.

"Shall we head out?" She inquired, with an extended hand.

Scott removed his hands from his face as he looked up at her. She had a smile across her face, still holding her hand out to him, "It's alright, you're not alone in this."

The boy took her hand and stood up from his seat and walked out of the café with Cecilia.

* * *

Susan was on the phone with someone as she was pacing back and forth in Scott's living room, "So, are you able to transfer him over?"

"What do you mean it'll take a couple of weeks?" She asked in an irritated tone... "Well get it done! I'm leaving with Scott and his friend to Japan by tonight."

Just as she hung up, the front door opened as Scott and Cecilia both walked in, "My, you look beautiful in the new clothing," Susan commented.

Cecilia smiled, "Why thank you. Scott picked out the dress, and I chose the rest."

Scott scratched the back of his neck, "Well, I thought you'd look good in it, and you do." The boy opened the trash and threw their garbage away as both kids finished their food and drinks on the way back to his house.

"Are you two ready to head back to Japan?" Susan asked.

"Yeah, but what about my father's house?" Scott inquired.

"I've already taken care of that. I have some people coming in tomorrow to clean the place up and refurbish it. It'll be ready and waiting for you whenever you decide to come back and visit," Susan explained as she put her shoes on. "I already bought us tickets back to Japan for a flight that's leaving tonight. We need to head to the airport before it gets dark out."

"Oh. You're pretty good at planning things out," Scott commented as he left the house with the two women.

Susan grinned as she looked at him knowingly, "You should know this by now."

* * *

Squall was sitting on a chair in her penthouse's living room sipping on some champagne as she looked out at the city lights below when an agent in a lab coat came up to her with a data pad, "Miss, I believe you'd like to see the results of our tests with the tech James delivered to us," the scientist said as they held the data pad out to Squall.

She put down her glass and took it in her hands as she skimmed through it. Soon a smile crossed her face, "Yes. This is better than I expected. Continue with the tests and get them ready..." she paused briefly as she thought about something for a moment, "Also, call him back in. I'd like to reward our partner for all their hard work." She said before handing the data pad back and taking her glass, returning to watching the people of Tokyo.

"Of course Milady," The agent said before disappearing.

* * *

Back at the Academy, Scott entered one of the maintenance rooms after checking to see if anyone was following him, "Phoenix, switch out the camera's live feed with a looped one."

"Already have, sir."

"Good," Scott commented as he pulled out the box from earlier. He opened it and took the tech out, "Can you scan it and make a blueprint out of the thing?"

"Of course," Phoenix replied as a blue light scanned the tech. Soon afterwards a hologram appeared before Scott, which showed all the mechanisms that were inside the device. The boy used his hands to zoom in on the hologram, "You've also locked the doors completely?"

"Yes. I know you don't want anyone else seeing this tech, so I've taken many precautions to make sure nobody can get near us while you inspect it."

"Good," Scott replied as he scavenged through the tech. "While you're at it, play the video my Dad left me earlier. Resume where it left off."

The next moment, the hologram and video of Hugh popped up, "She wanted it all to end, and through speculations between her and I; she managed to create something that never should've been possible. Your mother, my wife, managed to create a schematic that shows a machine that is able to disrupt the space-time continuum. I believe she wanted to go back in time and fix the corrupt world we live in today, and make it a peaceful place."

Scott scoffed, "Like that would ever happen."

"Sir, I believe it's disrespectful to laugh at the work your mother worked on her whole life," Phoenix cut in as he paused the video.

The boy was inspecting the blueprint of the tech his father left him. It was small, the size of a wristwatch and looked like one on the outside, but when Scott striped away the cover, underneath he found multiple little chambers surrounding a small channel that looped all the way around a bigger chamber in the middle. "Phoenix, can you run a simulation of what is suppose to happen?"

The hologram blueprint's mechanisms started moving after a small particle was placed inside the looping channel. The smaller chambers were all on and started spinning, causing the particle to loop around the channel as it gradually picked up speed. Scott was carefully watching until he saw the particle grow in size, however miniscule it was, then collapse in on itself before the whole tech imploded.

"What do you think, sir?" Phoenix inquired.

"It's a failure," He stated bluntly as he started removing pieces of the tech from the hologram, "What my mother envisioned, and kept all these years was never going to work."

"Would you like me to continue the video?"

"Sure."

The video started again as Scott was still playing with the blueprint hologram, "After your mother died, I burned the schematics she had for it, because didn't want anyone to get their hands on it... but couldn't bring myself to get rid of the work she had already completed for it. So, I leave you with your mother's unfinished time machine, and maybe pray you can complete it. I trust you'll know what to do." The video then cut out.

"Yeah, mhm. I definitely know what to do after I complete it," Scott commented sarcastically.

"So, that's it? You've given up on it," Phoenix asked.

"Of course. The whole basis of this machine is laughable. You expect a machine the size of a wristwatch be able to handle a particle inside it going at the speed of light before it's meant to turn into a blackhole?"

Phoenix thought about it for a moment, "No, I see what you mean now."

Scott compressed the hologram of the blueprint and crushed it, "I have better things to do, like finding David than mess around with something that's impossible." The boy said as he opened the maintenance door and started walking back to his dorm as he put the box back into his pocket.

* * *

David was in an elevator with a teenage girl. She looked like she was the age of fifteen, and wore a black cloak to cover her torso. Underneath it she was wearing her IS suit which was black and white, covering the majority of her body and arms. She was also wearing stilettos. Her hair was black and went all the way down to her neck in length. It was messy and unkept for the most part while it covered the girls face.

The elevator door opened and he stepped out with the girl beside him, walking up to a door which opened from the inside. Inside David found his client sitting in her chair sipping on wine as he approached her, "You wanted to see me? May I ask what for?" David inquired.

Squall was in her red dress that left little imagination to ones eye, as it was only enough to cover the front of her breasts, and lead down to her waist where the stomach was also partially revealed. Her blonde hair was wet, most likely due to a shower, and her autumn coloured eyes looked amused, "I hope my girl didn't treat you poorly when she greeted you," Squall said.

"No , she's been quiet this entire time," David said as he glanced behind to look at the girl once more.

"She can be like that sometimes, don't mind her. M, dear, you can head back to your room now," Squall replied. The girl nodded her head as she turned to leave.

David crossed his arms as he looked at Squall, "So, what did you want to see me about?"

"I wanted to give you a few presents, as a token of appreciation for all the hard work you've done while we've been partners," Squall answered.

"And what kind of presents are these?"

Squall's mouth twitched, a grin appearing on her face, "The work you retrieved for us turned out to be better than I expected, and I decided I'd give you a pair for yourself." The blonde woman said as she pulled one of the chips out of her dress and slid it across the glass table.

David picked it up and looked at it briefly, "And this is?"

"It's an A.I," Squall answered.

"What am I suppose to do with this?"

"Do as you wish with it, but just know that's it's meant to be used on an IS core," Squall stated as she watched David.

David then understood what she meant as his eyes lit up, "I see."

"I understand you pocketed some of the work you were suppose to give to me, but I don't mind. Next time, tell me and I can just give it to you," Squall commented.

David's eyebrow rose, "So you knew I kept a copy of the coding? I thought you hated being crossed?"

Squall chuckled as she took another sip of her wine, "I trust you took it for good reasons. We've been together for a while now, so I've given you the benefit of doubt."

David bowed, "You are kind. I shall accept the gift," he said before he turned around to leave.

"I'm not done yet. There's still more," Squall stated, causing David to stop and turn back around.

"And what other gifts do you have to offer?" David inquired.

The next moment David felt a chill down his spine, and turned around to check his blind spot. A boy, the same age as the girl before stepped out of the shadow as his eyes glowed blue, a grin plastered across his face. "So, you sensed me?"

The boy was Japanese, and had long silver hair in a high ponytail that reached down to his waist with clips at the top and the bottom of his hair to keep it out of the way. His face was mature and well kept, albeit a few scars. He wore custom made combat armour. His chest was covered by a Kevlar piece that had light metal plating that outlined his body and neck. His right arm was also protected by the same material with metal cuffs over top the Kevlar, while he his left arm was bare. His legs were covered in the same material too, except it was more loose, like cargo pants, and had a silver chain reach from his left pocket to the back. He was wearing utility boots, and had a small book attached to his waist.

"David, this boy will be a part of your team from now on," Squall explained.

"Is this your way of watching over me?" David inquired as he looked back at the boy who was leaning against the far wall.

Squall shook her head in disapproval, "Of course not, I'm giving him over to you. I believe he'll be of good use to you, so you may use him however you like."

"What's his name?"

"Ryota," The boy replied. "My name is Ryota."

David shook the boys hand, "Name's David Murphy." He then turned to Squall and bowed once more, "Now if that's everything, I'll be on my way now. I have work to do," David said before he turned to leave, beckoning the boy to follow him.

Squall nodded her head as she finished her glass and poured another, "Of course. I look forward to working with you more, James."

* * *

I hope you all enjoyed that chapter. Of course, I need something to start the next Arc in my story before moving on to Season 2 of IS. Tell me what you think.

Fav, follow, and review to your liking.


	14. Memories of a Fateful Summer

"Talking"

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 **Memories of a Fateful Summer**

* * *

Ichika wakes up to see a blue sky dotted with white clouds drifting along it, and the branches of a dead tree hanging above him. The branches looked familiar to him, but he couldn't exactly recall where from. The next moment, scenes flash before Ichika; there's a dark sky, and the silhouette of an IS flying across it. He then sees Rin charge after the unknown IS with her Souten Gagetsu, whilst the IS was firing at Cecilia and Charlotte, who were both trying to fire back at it. Another scene flashes before him, and this time it's Houki crying, as if sitting, hovering over him, "No! Ichika!" She cries. She was glowing bright, like when she replenished his shield energy back when the Gospel incident happened. Before he can make sense of the visions, he's looking at the blue sky once again; this time with a giant broad sword stuck in the water. He's then brought back to the fight happening with the unknown IS and sees Laura fire her railgun from the shore to try and shoot down their target, but the said target dodged them with ease.

As the target is dodging Laura's railgun it soon comes face to face with Ichika. He's startled to see himself be apart of the fight, but draws his weapon and brandishes it against the unknown opponent, who does the same. Whilst he watched himself charge at the mysterious opponent, Ichika's hand twitches as if out of fear. The two clash for a while as they dance around in the sky. The boy doesn't make any progress in defeating the IS, and when they're in a deadlock between blades; the unknown target pulls an underhanded tactic and shoots Ichika out of the sky with their ranged weapon in their off hand. Before the vision continues on any longer, Ichika is brought back to the blue sky dotted with white clouds, and notices someone is standing in the distance.

He gets up from the water and looks at the person, realizing it's an IS pilot in their IS, with their broad sword in the water beside them. _The Shirokishi_ , he thought. Ichika stands face to face with the pilot for some time before he tries reaching out to them, "Chifuyu?..." But as soon as he utters his sister's name, the surrounding area starts turning a dark and foreboding colour, as does the IS and it's pilot. Ichika steps back, scared of what's happening when the pilot grasps Ichika's neck and starts choking him. He struggles to break free of her grasp, but her hand wouldn't budge as he it gradually kept getting tighter and tighter, "I will kill you." The pilot, who Ichika believed to be his sister, said with a spiteful tone. Her grip tightened even more, causing Ichika to squirm in pain and fear as he watched his sister choke the life out of him, "I will kill you, Ichika Orimura!" She said one more time in a more clear tone, before Ichika passed out.

The sun was shining it's bright rays through the blinds as Ichika opened his eyes, confused for moment before he realized what he had saw was just a dream as he looked at his dorm room ceiling. The next moment a leg kicked him in the face, and he tried pushing the leg aside before it kicked him again. The boy got up and saw someone in his bed, covered in his sheets. He gave a depressed moan before Laura lifted her head up with her eyes still closed, sighing, "Is it morning already?" She asked.

"Laura?! You again!" Ichika said in a surprised and unhappy tone.

The girl was giggling as she got up, still covered in the sheets, "But today.." Laura paused briefly as she unraveled the covers around her, revealing her body. Ichika covered his eyes, before peeking a little to see Laura without the covers, "I am not naked!" The girl announced proudly as she was shown wearing the school's swimsuit.

Ichika was baffled as to why she was wearing such an article in bed, "What the heck are you wearing?"

Laura dropped the sheets and put her hands to her hips, "A brilliant assistant instructor's recommendation."

"If I were you, I think I'd fire that assistant instructor," Ichika said bluntly.

Laura ignored the comment and went straight to the point, "There is a special reason why I was waiting here for you to wake up... Read this." She took out a flyer from her chest area, and handed it to Ichika.

"What is _this_? Let's see here. Come to the end of the summer festival for your dating pleasure?" Ichika read it aloud, sounding confused, "Hey! Is this at that big swanky water park that just opened up? I've been really wanting to check this place out." He said excitedly.

Laura sat down near Ichika on his bed with an excited and hopeful look plastered on her face, "Is that right? You want to go?"

"Look, it even says here that you can rent a Yukata at the festival square!" Ichika exclaimed.

Laura coiled up in embarrassment as she squirmed, "I would like to wear a Yukata together with you, Ichika."

Ichika, having Laura's feelings and true intent go completely over his head, shoots his head up with excitement, "Then why don't we take everyone there?!"

Right after suggesting such an idea, Laura promptly throws one of her combat knives near the boy's head and impales the wall beside it. She then let out an upset sigh as she leaves the dorm room, slamming the door shut behind her.

The divider between the two beds was closed by Scott who was on the other side with his eyes still half closed. He looked at the knife in the wall and realized what had happened just from speculation. He got up from his bed and walked over to his closet, rubbing his eyes, "You know, you should really try to understand how the girls feel towards you."

"What do you mean?" Ichika asked, clueless.

Scott just shook his head as he took a set of clothes out, "Was it Laura again?" He inquired, ignoring Ichika's question, knowing it'll go over his head.

Ichika nodded his head.

"What did she want this time?"

The blue haired boy held out the flyer, and Scott took it, reading over it, "A summer festival... I see."

Scott turned back to Ichika, "So, what are you going to do?"

"Invite everyone. I think it'll be fun," Ichika explained.

"Ah, so that's why she left in a sour mood. Don't worry about Cecilia, I can ask her myself," Scott said as he entered the shower room. "And I'll be taking the first shower if you don't mind. I'd like to get out of the dorm early if that's the case," he said from inside the other room.

* * *

Elsewhere in the U.S, Bryce was busy doing paperwork at night after sending the girls to bed. He stretched his arms out to wake up a little when the entire building shook, and then the lights went out. He opened up his drawer and felt around for his emergency flashlight and took it out, turning it on. Bryce got up and left his office, and saw that the facility's emergency lights were on and the breach alarm was blaring, indicating the building was under attack.

Bryce opened a voice comm and called Sasha, who answered immediately, "Sasha, round up the girls and make your way to me via GPS. I'll be checking to see what's going on," He ordered.

"Why are we under attack?" Sasha inquired.

"Whoever it is, their goal is most likely the research facility," Bryce answered. "But forget that for now, just make your way to me once you've got everyone. We need to deal with the threat."

"Understood."

Bryce then cut the comm and entered the closest stairway, and started making his way up to the research floor. Once he got to it, he opened up the door to the blaring alarms and was met with blood and gore everywhere. There was dead bodies littered all over the floor, both scientists and security guards alike. Slash marks and bullet holes were on their lifeless corpses. The sight sickened him.

"Oh? I thought I killed everyone on this floor already," A voice came from Bryce's right side.

The man turned to see who it was, and saw a teenage boy of Japanese ethnicity with long silver hair tied in a high ponytail. He was covered in blood from head to toe, but had no expression. The boy seemed to be unfazed as he stared back at Bryce. The boy's brown eyes pierced him, causing Bryce to take a step back before he turned around and ran to a case along one of the walls, opening it and putting in a key. The next moment large six inch titanium doors all started closing off sections of the hallway, one of which was in between Bryce and the teenage boy. Once the door was down, Bryce gave a small sigh of relief before he heard the door get cut down as the boy entered. He had a partial IS deployment and held a giant scythe before sheathing the weapon.

"How? How are you able to use an IS?" Bryce inquired.

"Does it matter?" The boy countered, his expression still unchanging.

"My, my, Bryce, you've come a long way from just being a private," David said from within shadows, before revealing himself.

Bryce's eyes widened in fear as he realized who it was, "First Liuetenant Arnell?" Bryce asked in disbelief.

David shook his finger, "I don't go by that name anymore." He walked closer as a grin crossed the man's face, "To think you'd hold the same title I once did. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the government has lowered their standards since my termination." David then held a hand out, the grin still on his face, "Work with me, and you could become more than just a pet the government uses until they no longer need you. I'll gladly take you into my family, and make you stronger, better than you've ever been. Teach you how to survive this cruel, and unforgiving world we live in! What do you say?"

Bryce swatted David's hand away, and backs away from both David and the boy, "You're crazy to think I'd ever follow you. You slaughtered dozens of your comrades and superiors when they terminated your service. What makes you think I'm anything I'm like you? What makes you think any of this is right?!"

David shook his head in disappointment as he sighed. The boy turned to him and asked, "May I?" And David nodded his head.

The boy then materialized his scythe and walked towards Bryce with his piercing gaze as his eyes flashed an azure blue. Bryce backed away before tripping over a dead body and continued crawling backwards until he hit the titanium door behind him. Just as the boy was about to slash Bryce, a portion of the titanium door beside both of them blasted open and eight girls quickly pass through it, causing the boy to jump back in front of David and sheathe his weapon.

"Things have just become interesting," David commented as he watched Sasha help Bryce up and shield him.

"Commander, who is he?" Sasha inquired.

"He's an old superior of mine before the government terminated his service," Bryce explained. "His name is James Arnell; A psychotic man."

"An old superior?" Sasha repeated to herself as she looked at the man. "I've never heard of him."

"You were never suppose to. The government covered up the incident he caused eight years ago, and never spoke of him again," Bryce answered. "I wasn't there when it happened luckily. But I heard rumours from fellow soldiers that a man went crazy after being told his service was being terminated as a dishonourable discharge and stripped of his status and wasn't to receive a veteran pension... The man went on a rampage and killed dozens of officers and superiors with the team he had been in command of for two years, before they disappeared off the face of the earth, like they were ghosts. They gained the name 'spectres.'"

David gave a maniacal laugh, "I've never forgot the screams of my superiors who ordered the termination as I killed them."

Sasha grit her teeth in disgust, "What do you want with this facility?"

"I came here to claim something that should be mine," David answered. "An IS, and your precious research facility has plenty."

Sasha got into a fighting stance as she glared at David and the boy, "You'll have to get through us before you can get one." The girls with her also got ready to fight.

The boy then looked to David for an answer, who grinned and nodded his head. "It's all you, Ryota."

Ryota obliged as he also took a fighting stance before charging at Sasha who was at the forefront of the group of girls. Their fists collided with each other for a brief moment before Sasha jumped back, and two more girls leaped forward and tried attacking him. One tried to round-house kick him in the head, while the other slid forward and tried punching his gut. But he jumped in the air and swung his leg to kick the girl below him in the face, while he simultaneously put up his arm to block the other girl's kick before he quickly took hold of it and pulled her in and punched the girl a couple of times. He then threw her aside and looks at the rest of the girls with his expressionless face, which the girls took as a condescending look.

Three more girls charge at him, angered. The first one tackled him in an attempt to pin him down, but he gripped her back and flipped them over, so he was on top and punched her twice in the gut before he got up and did a reverse somersault, dodging a right hook from the second girl that was quickly followed by an ax kick from the third, which hits the first girl on the floor. Sasha started trading blows with Ryota for a few seconds, though none of hers were landing before Ryota did a low kick to trip her, and gripped her right leg and punched her in the quadriceps to briefly incapacitate her. He then dodged a punch that nearly connects with his face, but is then caught off guard as the last girl manages to trip him, but he quickly regains his balance and backs up to reassess the situation as the girls do the same.

The boy sees that most of the girls were still standing, except for two who were unconscious, leaving six left. They all partial deployed their IS weapons, Sasha held an AR in her hands, while the girl who managed to trip Ryota held two scimitars in hand. Two had lancers while one had a shotgun and another had a sniper. Ryota obliged and partial deployed his scythe, causing David to grin in amusement as he saw the boy's eyes started to glow the same azure blue when he first met the kid. He's never seen the boy fight other IS users yet, and a six to one situation made things interesting. David couldn't help but get excited to see the boy's mysterious power in action.

Ryota beckons the girls to come at him with his left hand. The two girls with lancers comply as they charge at him with support from the sniper as large caliber rounds flew past Ryota. He was dodging the snipers shots as he was fighting the lancers, blocking and parrying all of their strikes with ease, before he sliced one of the bullets that was targeted at David, and slipped passed the girls he was fighting, striking them down. He gracefully spins around to block the scimitars that would've sliced his arms off. Ryota and the girl were in a deadlock before the former relieved some of his pressure and then using his opponents momentum, swiftly slid his scythe's blade upwards to knock the scimitars out of her hands. She then lunges her left IS hand at him, extending it's claws out to try and shred him. But he parries and hit her using the hilt of his scythe to send her flying into the wall, cracking it. Just as he sent the girl flying, the girl with the shotgun saw an opening and fired a slug at him, but he brought his blade up to absorb the shot. He turns to look at the remaining three with his piercing blue eyes, and scares the two girls with Sasha.

"Sasha, we should retreat for now," The girl with the sniper suggests in an anxious voice.

The blonde girl looks at her surroundings and sees all the dead bodies, and a feeling of unease starts to creep it's way in her. Sasha couldn't believe a male IS pilot infiltrated the facility and caused so much death and destruction. She then looks at Ryota, who still had an expressionless face, with his azure blue eyes watching her every move. A part of her wanted to wipe that look off his face, but she knew that they wouldn't be able, so she sheathes her AR, "Alright, we're leaving. We can't fight him by ourselves." The other two girls also sheathe their weapons and retreat with Sasha and Bryce.

David then walks up to Ryota as the boy puts his scythe away and wraps an arm around his neck, "You didn't have to frighten the poor girls you know."

Ryota then turns to David as his eyes revert to the brown colour they are, still with the same look, "There is no place in this world for the weak."

The man gave a sinister grin, "You and I will get along just fine then." David then turns around and starts walking, "The others should be finished by now, so we should meet up with them and leave before more trouble arrives."

As they're leaving, one of the girls who were knocked unconscious earlier suddenly gets up and charges at Ryota as she deploys her IS weapon, ready to kill him while his back was turned. But she's unexpectedly stabbed in the gut by his scythe as he swiftly turned around and attacked her. She stood there shocked as he drives the blade in further, piercing her completely and lifted her up in the air. The girl was gripping the blade of the scythe as tears streamed down her face, realizing she made a grave mistake that she couldn't take back. She started coughing up blood as she choked on it. Ryota looked at her with his unchanging expression, "I thought you girls understood your rightful place... grovelling in the dirt." He then dematerialized his scythe, causing the girl to hit the floor as she died while he turned around to leave with David.

The girl with the scimitars watched the entire encounter from her spot, her eyes still half closed, and knew she couldn't do anything; yet all the same, rage was building up inside her. She couldn't believe that the boy was treating them like that. She couldn't stand his attitude, or forgive him for killing a friend of hers as tears welled up in her eyes. Then a voice spoke to her in a low, sinister tone, _Do you desire power? Power to avenge your friend? Power to kill that boy?_ It asked.

"Yes," the girl mumbled.

David and Ryota both felt a sudden murderous intent behind them and looked to see who it was. They saw the girl Ryota had knocked into the wall stand up with a blood red aura around her. As she stood up, her IS engulfed her and took the form of a black wolf with glowing red eyes. She was on all four limbs with the dark red aura still around her. It was like a lone wolf, stray from the pack, with nothing left to lose. David's eyes lit up with amusement as he turned to Ryota who materialized his scythe and got ready to attack, but the wolf-like IS gave a sonic screech that sounded like a howl causing David and Ryota to fall to their knees in pain. It disorientated their vision and hearing. Both held their ears in pain as blood trickled from them. Ryota looked at the IS in front of him as his vision swayed from side to side, before he looked to the ground, still holding his ears. The next moment he felt a presence right in front of him causing him to look up and see the wolf lunged itself at him. It latched it's mouth to his shoulder, as he yelled in pain, wide-eyed as the wolf glared at him. Ryota then heard the sound of a gun going off, and the next moment the wolf IS was against the wall, off of him and the girl inside was screaming in pain as ESD launchers were used to disable her IS' movements. An ESD harpoon was shot, and attached to the girl's IS and was disrupting the systems, keeping her from being able to move. (A/N: Fun Fact; ESD stands for electrostatic discharge, which is the sudden flow of electricity caused by two electrically charged objects coming in contact with each other, which in turn causes an electronic device that has that has been hit by it to be disabled as long as both electrically charged objects stay in contact with each other, and remain charged).

Corey and Jacob ran up to David and Ryota, helping them up respectively.

"Sir, we've successfully managed to retrieve the IS for you," Corey stated as he helped David up.

Jacob on the other hand was looking over Ryota's wound and saw it went deep, "James, we're going to need to get him to a suitable place for me to patch this wound. I'll only be able to reduce his blood loss for now."

"Just try to stop the bleeding for now, and we can carry him to one of the SUVs. Corey..." David paused briefly as he lost his balance, still affected by the howl from the girl, "Can find us a temporary location to treat him once we've gained enough distance and are out of satellite view."

Corey was intrigued by the wolf IS as he stared at it in awe, wondering what it was, "What is it?"

"I don't know. It's an experimental IS I would assume. Stay away from it, okay," David answered as he started walking towards the door to the stairway. Corey nodded and went to help Jacob carry Ryota out of the facility.

* * *

It was still early in the morning as Scott yawned while leaning against the main Academy building, waiting outside. "Sir, there she is," Phoenix advised Scott, who looked in the distance, and saw Cecilia walking towards the Academy. The next moment Scott disappeared from his spot.

"Welcome back," Scott said as he smiled at Cecilia, who was surprised to see him appear out of nowhere.

"Oh my, you scared me," The British girl replied as she went back to walking.

"My bad. It wasn't my intention," Scott chuckled embarrassingly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Did lots of work back in England?"

"Yes, of course. My family's business is a lot of work... Thankfully my government has helped relieve some of that stress when I'm not around," Cecilia answered.

"Sounds rough. I was never involved in any work revolving around my father and mother," Scott pointed to the scar on his cheek, "As you can clearly tell." He then gave a downhearted laugh, "No, I was just left to my own devices after my mother died... Like my father felt guilty for our loss, and didn't know how to tell me, or express his feelings to mend our relationship."

Both entered the main building and were walking down the corridors, "Anyways, I didn't come to talk about my past. I came here to ask if you would like to come to the summer festival with me?... and Ichika, and possibly the others.." Scott stated.

"What do you mean by, 'possibly the others?'"

"What I mean, is that Ichika would like to invite everyone to the summer festival being held at the new water park they just opened up," The boy explained. "I just happened to tell him, that I'd personally ask you, myself."

Cecilia thought about what he was saying before her eyes lit up, "Are you asking me out?"

Scott's face went a little pink as he turned his head away, "I mean, if that's what you'd like it to be; then it's fine with me."

He glanced back at the blonde girl walking beside him, who was looking back, "I never would've taken you as a shy person. You're always so forward about everything," She grinned slyly. "No matter, I Cecilia Alcott, will agree to go on a date with you and make all the necessary preparations."

Scott nervously laughed, "Haha, great. Tomorrow, eight in the morning. Got it?"

"Yup," Cecilia said gleefully before running off ahead.

"Sir, I'd like to remind you, that I'm able to see your thoughts when you're physically connected me..." Phoenix commented.

"Oh yeah, like you could ever feel an emotion like love or happiness," Scott quipped.

"No, I believe that's impossible. I don't have a heartbeat; I act with logic and reason, so please try to contain your emotions."

* * *

Elsewhere in the Academy's cafeteria Laura and Charlotte were having breakfast together. Laura was eating steak, potatoes, green beans and carrots while Charlotte was eating a pasta salad containing pasta, tomatoes, red onions and cucumbers all on top of a couple slices of lettuce.

"Verdammt, he must become more aware of his duties as my bride!" Laura cursed as she was cutting her steak.

"It seems like something is bothering you," Charlotte commented as she looked at Laura, who had a frustrated look on her face.

The German girl stopped cutting briefly as she looked back at Charlotte, "Huh? Oh no, it's nothing," She replied before going back to cutting her food.

Charlotte's eyes lit up, "I know. Why don't we go do a little clothes shopping if you have time?"

"What for? The military supplies all my clothing-" Laura tried shutting down her friend before being interrupted by said friend.

"That is a military uniform. And if you wore that out in public; your fellow Germans might not be too happy about that, right?" The French girl countered with a friendly smile. "Come on, the summer break is almost over. Let's go," she continued.

Laura sighed in defeat, "Well I guess you have a point."

Charlotte leaned in closer, "So, can you be ready to leave around ten?"

Laura was somewhat surprised, but gave in once more, "Yeah, that is fine."

Later on, at ten in the morning...

Laura entered the monorail station where Charlotte was waiting for her and walked up, "I've changed! Here is my going-out attire." She stated proudly, wearing the Academy's school uniform.

"But you're still wearing a uniform," Charlotte commented.

Three girls gathered around one of the benches in the waiting station started talking, catching the attention of Charlotte and Laura, who eavesdropped on them.

"Hey guys, did you hear about the rumour about the special crepes at seaside park?" One of the girls inquired to the other two.

The second girl was excitedly jumping up and down, "Oh yeah, I have. Supposedly, if you eat mixed berry crepes with the person you like, you'll find true love."

"That's right, but I've heard that they're always sold out of them," The first girl replied.

 _Find true love with mixed berry crepes?_ Charlotte repeated in her head, curious of the rumour.

* * *

Rin was lying in her room wearing short shorts and a bra as she dangled her her leg in the air, eating an ice pop. It was nearly noon and she was brooding over her situation as she sighed, "Tomorrow will be the last day of the summer break. It'd be nice to make some memories with Ichika.. Because of him, I chose to stay here instead of going back home, so you'd think that he could've ask me out at least once."

A knock was heard from her door, and Ichika spoke from the other side, "Hey Rin.."

Rin freaked out as she bolted up from her bed after realizing what she was wearing and tried running to her door, "I'm coming in," Ichika called out as she did.

"A-Ah! Uh, just a second!" Rin shouted back as she got to her door, but it was too late as Ichika had already opened it and tried entering before he saw Rin standing in front of him. He got a good look of what she was wearing, and left little imagination for him, which made Rin feel embarrassed and uncomfortable. She partial deployed her right IS hand and hit Ichika out of her room, causing the boy to hit the wall behind him face first before sliding to the floor, hurt and whimpering in fear. The flyer Ichika was holding floated down into Rin's view and she took hold of it and read the paper, realizing why he came to see her; making her feel bad.

* * *

"So Laura, which do you prefer; skirts or pants?" Charlotte inquired as the two girls entered the shopping mall.

"Mmm, either one-"

"And don't say, 'Either one is fine with me.' Actually, when you say that sort of thing, you sound just like Ichika," Charlotte cut in.

"Well, it is good for married couples to have similar tastes," Laura countered, causing Charlotte to sigh, "Anyways, this fall fashion is-"

"Nein! I have no need of fall clothing," Laura stated.

Charlotte was confused, "Huh?! Why not?"

"Because it is now summer. We should not purchase fall clothing until the fall," Laura explained.

"Um, the thing is; girls usually buy their clothes before the season starts," The french girl replied.

"Is that so? Tactics dictate that soldiers must equip themselves for battle before fighting has begun. Is this the same principal?" Laura inquired.

"Uh, I guess. Let's just go check out some stores, no?" Charlotte said as they got off an escalator that lead to the upper floor.

Both girls entered a clothing store called, 'Third Surface' and were greeted by a store employee, "Welcome ladies." The woman bowed and when she looked up she was astonished to see two beauties has entered the store. "Oh, a platinum and a blonde!" She blurted out in awe at the two, before she regained her composure, "Um, I meant to say, 'How would you ladies like to try on some items from our latest collection? Hmm.'"

Laura and Charlotte examined the mannequin the employee pointed at, "Um, it's so sheer that what's underneath will be...What do you think Laura?" Charlotte inquired, turning to her friend.

Laura felt a little uncomfortable being put on the spot as she turned her head and closed her eyes, "Uh- um, it is very white.. That is not bad, bu-but as you can see; I am already wearing white." She turned back to see that both Charlotte and the store employee both got the same articles that the mannequin was wearing.

"Well, why don't you try it on anyway?" The french poodle asked with a smile.

Laura's face went pink as she turned her head away once more, "N-no, it is too much-"

"Oh, it is not to much.. bother," Charlotte cut in, leaving Laura with no choice but to try it on, who puffed her cheeks out.

A little while later, in the changing room... Laura finished trying on the outfit, and put it back on the hanger in the little room then turned to the mirror with just her under garments on; imitating a pose of the model in the magazine page up on the wall near the mirror, "Perhaps I am mistaken about this..."

She let out a sigh, "But, maybe I am simply not attractive to the opposite sex." Laura sighed once more before she started putting her uniform back on with a pique feeling.

"This is absurd... But, maybe I should have been wearing garments that are much cuter than this," the girl was having second thoughts, "Yeah, I am sure Ichika would commend me for that." Laura then proceeded to imagine Ichika complimenting her.

 _The two were alone at night, a little ways away from the city as the city lights were in the background, and Ichika was looking at Laura with an endearing smile, "Laura, your clothes are super cute."_

 _Laura turned away from Ichika, upset, "Only my clothing?!" She inquired._

 _Ichika then leaned forward so his head was beside hers and he spoke quietly into her, startling the girl and making her blush, "The person wearing them is the cutest of all."_

 _Laura brought her head up and looked forward, elation in her eyes, "You foolish boy."_

The German girls fantasy was interrupted by Charlotte who called out from outside the change room, "So, did you try it on Laura?"

"What is this? You're still in your uniform," Charlotte said as Laura peeked out of the change room.

"Uh, actually-" Laura was interrupted by the French blonde.

"I see. I guess you did not find that one to your taste," Charlotte assumed.

"No, it is not that I did not like it.. Actually, I want something cuter," Laura admitted.

Charlotte's eyes lit up as she leaned in closer to her friend, "Oui! You want something cute, right. Tell me what kind you'd like?"

"Well, one that's a little more revealing would be nice."

The blonde gave a risqué laugh, "Leave it to me."

A short while later, Laura opened the curtain completely and was in a white strapless dress that went below her hips, just enough to tease a man's thoughts, and over-top she was wearing a purple dress that was smaller in length, showing the white dress underneath and had a cut pattern at the bottom seams to make it look like feathers of a swan. At her waist was a belt that was tightened just enough to show her slim figure and a V cut in the purple dress that starts from her waist with each side of the cut acting as the straps that go over her shoulders to the back. This also revealed the part of the dress that covered her chest. The girl was slightly embarrassed as she opened the curtains because a lot of the girls in the store were surrounding her changing room as they stared at her in awe, commenting on how beautiful she looked.

Charlotte walked up to Laura with an opened shoe box, "And the icing on the cake."

Laura saw the shoes were purple heels with straps, "You brought some shoes too? You thought of everything."

The blonde gave a prideful laugh, her accent more prominent this time, "Ah, but of course!"

Laura took the heels and put them on, then stood up to see how they felt before she quickly lost balance due to never having worn heels before. She stumbled forward before Charlotte caught her and knelt down to hold her up, as Laura stood back up, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I am sorry," Laura apologized as Charlotte held the girls hands in hers.

"It's no problem," Charlotte replied.

The girls surrounding them started squealing in excitement as they watched the two stay in that position and started taking pictures of them. Charlotte was on one knee and held Laura's hands in her own as she looked up at the platinum girl, like she was a knight who just saved a princess from danger and knelt to show their respect to said princess. While Laura was the beautiful princess who was just saved a chivalrous knight.

Both were caught in the moment and were staring at each other, but were interrupted by the sounds of cameras going off and flashes in their faces, causing both to look at the crowd of girls in awe of the two as Charlotte stood back up. Laura and Charlotte were both embarrassed of the situation.

* * *

Houki was in her kendo outfit, in the kendo club dojo standing still, ready to strike. She then swiftly draws her blade and strikes the air in a poised manner, expected from one who has disciplined themselves since childhood. _I know not the way to triumph over others... I know the way to triumph over myself._

The samurai sheathes her katana and closes her eyes, _I want to protect the one who is important to me._ Houki then opens her eyes and swiftly strikes with her blade again.

Later on after her practice, Houki goes into the kendo club's shower room and undresses and enters, turning on the facet. As she's cleaning herself, she looks down at her bosom and examines it before she give a distressful sigh, _I don't believe it. I think my boobs got bigger again!_

"Houki, are you in there?" Ichika calls out from outside the kendo dojo, startling the girl.

"U-uh, Ichika? What do you want?" Houki answers as she turns off the facet.

"I've been looking for you Houki. Can we talk?" The boy replies as he continues to wait for his friend to open the kendo club's door.

Houki grabs her shirt and underwear, putting them on as she runs over to the door, stumbling while she does, "Uh, uh.. Yeah ok, just give me a second." She then makes it to the door, with the clothes she put on in a hurry, and opens it, using one hand to hold her shirt and cover her breasts, "Uh, what do you want?" Houki asked a little nervous.

Ichika looks down to see she's soaked, and her hair is completely wet. But what catches his attention is her breasts, which she's covering for the most part, albeit a small part of her cleavage is showing, causing the boy to turn a little pink as he averts his gaze, "I'm sorry, I guess you were in the shower.."

"Yeah, I was. So what did you want to talk about?" Houki asked in a slightly irritated tone.

Ichika hands her the flyer, "Would you like to go to this with me?"

Houki takes the flyer with the hand that was holding the shirt to cover her chest, meaning her cleavage was in full view which Ichika caught a glimpse of before he sheepishly looked away, "What's this?" Houki asked.

"O-oh, uh, I know it's kinda last minute so you don't have to go," Ichika stated, still avoiding eye contact with Houki.

"Sure, I'm easy!" Houki replied in an excited tone, giggling as she looked at Ichika, who looked back at her when she said yes.

* * *

At the same time in a cafe called, 'Cafe Cruise', Laura and Charlotte were sitting at a table for two as their orders came.

A waitress came up and placed the girls orders in front of them, "Thank you for waiting," she said before bowing and leaving.

Laura gave an exhausted sigh, "I am so tired."

"I really think you should've kept the dress on Laura," Charlotte commented to her friend. Unbeknownst to the girls, there was someone eavesdropping on their conversation from across the room at a different table.

"Mmm, I didn't want to, because I didn't want to get it dirty," Laura replied as she started eating her food.

Charlotte had a mischievous and knowing look cross her face as she leaned in a little, "Mhm, or do you just want Ichika to be the first person to see it?"

Laura, embarrassed by the correct accusation gets up from the table and slams her hands down on it, "Nein! That is totally untrue!"

A woman in a suit appears at the table the girls were eating at and interrupts their petty argument, catching their attention, "Excuse me ladies.. Want a job?" (A/N: Can I just say that in the dubbed version, the manager of the cafe, even if she's a woman; seriously sounds like some creepy person in a white van trying to lure little kids into it with the promise of "candy," with the way she offered the job to them).

A couple hours later after some breifing of how the job works and getting their work uniforms on, Laura and Charlotte begin their new job. Though for Charlotte, she was a little unhappy of her situation, "Uh, Madam I was wondering, why did you want me dressed up as a butler?" She was wearing a butler suit with the tail jacket and held an empty tray she was holding at her side.

The manager, who was in a maid outfit turned around and thought about it for a moment, "Um, because you're better looking and more stylish than most of the guys around here."

"Is that so?.." Charlotte replied, looking over at Laura who was in the same maid outfit as the manager and serving customers already. "But I wanted to wear that kind of outfit... I guess this is just inevitable for me."

"Don't worry toots, it really suits you," The manager reassured.

"Yeah, so I've been told," Charlotte gave an uneasy laugh before the door to the cafe opened, and the manager greeted the newcomer.

Charlotte then got to work as she brought a tray of tea and cups over to a waiting table, "Thank you for waiting ladies, which one of you ordered tea?" She inquired with a smile. She was a couple hours into the shift and was starting to get the hang of it.

She struck the hearts of the two girls as they looked at Charlotte in awe. One of the girls spoke up as she continued to look at Charlotte, "Oh, I had the tea."

Charlotte then made the girls tea as she elegantly poured sugar and cream into the tea and mixed it before handing it to the girl, "Very well then, just let me know you require anything else ladies. Please enjoy," she said as she bowed, then left.

She then walked up to a new customer who had just entered and been seated by one of the staff, "And what would you like to order sir?" Charlotte inquired without looking at the customer as she took out her pad and pen.

The boy looked up from his menu, "I'd like to have a latt- Charlotte?"

The French girl looked from her pad and saw it was Scott, "Wait, what are you doing in a cafe like this?"

Scott shrugged, "Cecilia said she came here once and said the food and drinks were good. Thought I'd come check it out." He noticed she was the only female staff member wearing a butler outfit, "But tell me, how come you're wearing a male uniform?"

Charlotte nervously laughed, "Believe me, I asked the same thing. It seems to everyone that I'm more attractive this way." She ended up snapping the pen she was holding by the time she finished her statement, with a smile on her face.

Scott was a little frightened of her angelic anger, "I see. I think you look good in it, but I personally would've liked seeing you in a maid outfit," he commented honestly.

Charlotte saw he examined her from top to bottom before commenting about her, which made her blush slightly, "A-Anyways, you wanted a latte, and what else?"

Scott briefly looked back at the menu again, "I wanted a latte, and a piece of their red velvet cake."

"Is that everything, sir?" Charlotte inquired.

"Yes."

Five or so minutes later Charlotte came back and placed Scott's order in front of him, "Thank you for waiting, sir." She then sat down with him, "So, how have things been?"

Scott took a sip of his latte before he spoke, "Mmm, this is pretty good."

"I made it myself," the girl commented.

Scott raised an eyebrow, "You must work in the kitchen often."

Charlotte laughed, "There's no need to flatter me over a latte. I helped out my mother since I was a little child, so she taught me a lot of things."

The brown haired boy then sat back in his seat as he looked at his friend, "Anyways, to answer your question; things are fine. My father is in a coma, and there's not much I can do but hope he wakes up soon. As for me, I'm doing better now and I have Cecilia to thank for that."

Charlotte had the same knowing look from earlier cross her face again, "Oh, you two have become quite close, haven't you?"

Scott scratched his neck, "Yeah, I guess we have become pretty close friends... She's actually quite a nice girl behind that prideful attitude of hers. But, aren't you suppose to be working?"

The blonde girl shook her head, "I asked if I could go on break after giving you your order. It's only a four hour shift, so I have a fifteen minute break."

"Oh, and how long have you been working here for?"

"Laura and I both just started today when the manager of the cafe came and offered us the job," Charlotte replied.

"Laura's working here too? Is she wearing a maid outfit?" Scott asked out of curiosity.

"... Yes, I'm a little envious."

Scott laughed, "I'd like to see this. I've only ever seen her wear pants."

Charlotte rested her head on one of her hands as she looked at Scott, "She's actually pretty cute in dresses."

"I wouldn't doubt it, she was cute during our training field trip when she wore a bikini at the beach," Scott commented as he ate a piece of the velvet cake. "Anyways, how's your summer break been?"

Charlotte sighed, "Uneventful for the most part, but today I managed to get Laura out of the Academy and we went shopping earlier. It was fun."

It was Scott's turn to give a knowing look, "Uneventful due to patiently waiting for a certain someone to make a move?"

Charlotte blushed a little in response as Scott continued with a small grin, "It's blatantly obvious you all like him... Though it'll take more than just sitting and waiting for him to do something. That guy will take everything at face-value, he doesn't read between the lines."

Charlotte sighed in response, "I understand that, but it's hard to make a move when he doesn't understand our feelings to start with."

"Maybe you should try to be more bold, that could get his attention," Scott suggested as he continued to eat his cake.

The next moment the door to the café burst open, "Hello, welcome to-" one of the employee's tried welcoming the newcomers but they were three men wearing jerseys, pants and all had masks on with menacing looks as one of them raised their handgun in the air and fired a warning shot, "Alright, nobody move!" He ordered.

Another one with a mini smg pointed his weapon at the crowd, and yelled, "Shut up, you!"

Two of the crooks had a duffle bag each that was loaded with cash, indicating that the café was just a temporary holdout they could use with the hostages they had to get what they wanted from the police.

Moments later, police sirens were heard outside the café, "Attention! You've been completely surrounded. Give up and turn yourselves in peacefully. I repeat!-"

One of the windows of the café was broken interrupting the cop, "If you want the hostages to be released unharmed; bring us a car! And don't even think about putting some kind of tracking device in it, or trying to follow us!" One of the robbers demanded right before another turned around and unloaded a magazine of his smg into the ground and one of the police cruisers as a scare tactic.

The two crooks by the window who demanded the getaway car both laughed with each other, "They looked pretty scared," one of them said.

"Hey blondie! Yeah, you over there! I'm thirsty, bring me a menu!" A robber demanded to Laura.

She turned around to look at the robbers with a stern look as she gave a "hmph."

Laura then walked up to the robber who demanded a menu, holding a tray of glasses full of water and ice.

Two of the robber looked at the tray, unhappy, "What the hell is this?!"

"It's water," Laura answered, with the same look as before.

"Huh? Water?!"

"Go ahead and drink it... If you can, that is!" Laura said with a grin before throwing the tray into the air causing the water and ice to spill everywhere. She then jumped into the air and used her fingers as pistols by flicking the ice at their faces to disorientate them and disarm them of their weapons, before she did a round-house kick to the gut of one of the robbers with a duffle bag of cash.

The last crook was the one with the handgun and cocked it, pointing the gun at Laura with fear as he fired his entire clip, missing all of the shots, "Don't mess with us you little brat! Get away from me! I'll murderize ya!" He said before he finished reloading.

He was gonna start shooting again until he saw another person run up and charge at him before he could do anything, "Unfortunately for you, there's more than one of us!" She claimed as she did a high round-house kick to the robbers face, knocking him into one of the tables and chairs, rendering him unable to continue.

"Target number two, neutralized. And you Mon ami?"

"No problem. Target number three, also neutralized," Laura replied.

The last robber crawled to his handgun, picked it up and pointed it at Laura and Charlotte as he got up, "This is a bunch of crap! How did we let these kids do this to us?!" He yelled in anger, firing a shot each at the girls, who both managed to dodge the bullet by a hair.

Charlotte then kicked the tray that was right beside the handgun of the robber she took out, which hit it and caused the pistol to fly into the air. Laura caught it and pointed the handgun at the remaining robber's head, before he turned around, "You're so slow. Now die!" She said before pistol whipping the robber in the head, knocking him out.

"All targets neutralized," Laura relayed to everyone, mainly Charlotte.

The civilians who were all cowering behind objects and tables, crawled out from their cover as they praised the two girls, "They saved us!"

"Thank you for saving our lives, maid and butler."

Laura and Charlotte walked over to the window that was broken and looked down a the police still on standby, "Um Laura, it might be a problem if they find out were representative contenders. We should get out of here, now!"

"Hey, good point. We should probably leave," Laura agreed.

One of the unconscious robbers woke up once more, and managed to get up on his knees, "I didn't come this far to get caught and spend the rest of my life in jail. I'd rather blow this whole place to hell!" He shouted in frustration as he stood up and revealed the c4 suicide bombs planted in his jersey and Kevlar vest.

Scott ran up from behind the robber with the c4, grabbed the closest chair, and swung it at their head, knocking them out. Scott then knelt down and touched the c4 bombs, "Phoenix, are you able to disarm them?"

"Of course! Just need some physical contact and voila," The AI stated as the red lights of the receivers for the c4 went out.

* * *

Later, at Seaside Park in the evening. Laura and Charlotte were at the rumoured crepe stand where one may find true love if they eat the mixed berry crepes with the one they love.

"Excusez-moi, two crepes please, with mixed berries," Charlotte ordered.

The crepe guy (yes, crepe guy), closed his eyes with a light-hearted smile as he leaned back, "Aw, bummer ladies. I'm afraid there's no more mixed berries today."

"What? You're sold out," Charlotte inquired in a disappointed tone.

Laura on the other hand had noticed something as her eyes lit up, "So, do you still want one?" Charlotte asked the German super soldier.

The girl turned and nodded her head, "Hm, yeah. I want one with strawberries and blueberries, now."

Her order caused the crepe guy to open his eyes as he looked at her before smiling, "Straw and blue, no problemo."

A little while later after there crepes were made, Laura and Charlotte were sitting together at a bench by the sea as they ate their crepes and watched the sun set, enjoying their snacks.

"Mm, this is really good," Charlotte commented.

"Yeah, this is my very first time to eat a real crepe. Und I'm finding it to be quite tasty."

Charlotte took another bite of her strawberry crepe before she looked out at the horizon and thought, _I'm going to come here with Ichika next time. It'd be so nice if they have the mixed berry crepes._

Laura then slide closer to the French girl, "Mmm, Charlotte?"

Charlotte was a little embarrassed how close Laura was as she hesitantly answered back, "Uh, oui?"

Laura then started leaning to Charlotte's face as she closed her eyes and opened her mouth a little, giving Charlotte the wrong idea as she leaned in to lick some strawberry sauce off of her face, causing Charlotte to blush wildly.

"What was that about?!" Charlotte asked, embarrassed.

"There was sauce on your cheek," Laura answered nonchalantly.

"U-Uh, I understand but still-"

"Both of my hands were engaged. However, if you're going to be upset; I will offer you a bite of my crepe as a peace offering."

Charlotte thought about it for a moment before brushing off the issue, "Eh, merci beaucoup Laura." She said before she took a bite of Laura's blueberry crepe.

(A/N: God, writing and watching them eat crepes, makes me want to try out crepes. Mmmmm they actually look so good *starts drooling*)

"By the way, about ze crepe shop; they do not have mixed berry crepes. It was not even on the menu, furthermore I did not see any sauce on the shelf labelled for that purpose," Laura explained.

"Oh, is that right? You are so observant."

Laura closed her eyes and smiled, "But you still got to eat the mixed berry crepe, ja?"

It took Charlotte a moment before she realized Laura's intent, "Oh?! Strawberries and blueberries!"

"Mhm, together."

Charlotte looked at her crepe in awe, finally understanding the meaning of the rumour, "Sacre bleu. Now I understand the real reason why they are always sold out of mixed berry crepes."

"It'd be so nice to eat mixed berries here with a boyfriend someday, N'est-ce Pas?"

* * *

Later in the evening back at the Academy in Laura and Charlotte's dorm room.

"What is this bizarre contraption?!" Laura inquired in mortification. The German girl was currently wearing a black cat onesie against her own will. "Are you sure these are pajamas?"

(A/N: Can I also say that my French is complete trash. I know half of the phrases Charlotte says, but can't spell them correctly without looking it up. And the ones I don't know, I can never google them no matter how hard I try because French spell things weird.)

"Very much so, and you look so good in them!" Charlotte answered excitedly before she pounced on Laura in her white cat onesie.

"Ah! Do not hold me that way! Oh, I cannot move!"

"Hehe, now behave. You're a little kitty cat, so you need to sit still on my lap.. Can you say, 'Meow!'? That's a good kitty."

Laura, still mortified of what she's being forced to wear and do, yells, "I will not comply! Why would I ever want to do something so embarrassing?"

"Why would you? Because it's so cute!" Charlotte answered, still ecstatic as ever. She then took hold of Laura's hands and put them in a cat pose, "Come on now, say it with me: Meow!"

Charlotte's meow was right beside Laura's ear and sent shivers throughout the poor girls body. It was now Laura's turn to 'Meow!' as she put one paw up while the other was on her lap, "M-Meow!"

"Tres adorable!" Charlotte commented as she continued to smother Laura with Feline love before a knock on their door was heard.

"Oui, who is there?" Charlotte asked as the door was opened, and Ichika entered. "How's it going?" He said cheerfully, before he noticed their attire.

"Well, those are unusual outfits. Black cat and a white cat, huh? I don't keep up with the latest fashions, but that's are- they are so cute!" (A/N: See, he gets it xD kill me)

His comment about them being cute caused both girls faces to turn red with embarrassment, "We're- They are cute?!" ?They said in unison.

"You think so?" Charlotte giggled happily. "He said we are cute!"

"Alright! If that is your opinion then, perhaps I will not object.. Und maybe wear it on special occasion." Laura commented in return.

"Oh! Nearly forgot about tomorrow," Ichika said as pulls out the flyer and hands it to Charlotte, causing Laura to growl in anger like a cat.

* * *

Somewhere at night in an unknown military base, breach alarms were blaring along the long, large corridors of the base as an announcer spoke over the speakers.

"Intruder detected in Area sixteen; all units move to intercept. I repeat, intruder detected in area sixteen, intercept at once!"

A teenage girl was walking along the corridor as the alarms blared. She was the same one earlier that escorted David to Squall when he completed his mission on retrieving Hugh's tech. She still wore the stilettos along with the shawl from before. A voice comm appeared by her left ear and Squall spoke through it, "M, do you read me? Let me make this clear; Your body has been implanted with nanodevices that monitor your every action, therefore you will carry out your mission as ordered."

Moments later, a squad of military soldier fully armed turned around the corner at the end of the corridor M had reached, "There she is!" The lead one shouted to the rest who initially took cover behind the corner.

They all started firing at the teenage girl, but none of their shots were hitting the target as she was swift with her movements, dodging the bullets.

"Vile pests," M murmured in annoyance. She then jumped forward and pulled out two handguns and fired at the two soldiers at the forefront of the formation and took them out by shooting them in the knees and shoulders, incapacitating them. M Jumped up into the air to avoid being shot by the remaining three as their bullets trailed her movements, unable to catch up and hit her. As she was coming back down from the air she did a somersault, and shot one of the guards feet causing him to collapse to the ground in pain. When M touched the ground she did a high-kick to the face to the guard to her right then swiftly turned around and round-house kicked the other guard in the gut.

"Good girl, M. Let's see more," Squall complimented before cutting the comm, acknowledging the girls prowess.

Right after the comm was cut, M heard loud clanging approach her. She turned to see four basic military grade IS users in their machines, holding M at gunpoint with their weapons. "This is a restricted area!" One of them warned.

Hearing the woman say that caused M to sneer. She put out her arms as light started to emit from her palms.

"Is she going to fight us bare-handed?" One of the pilots inquired as they all got ready to fire.

"There's a special IS sealed up on this base. A special Infinite Stratos, it's mine!" M declared

"Huh? It's what?!"

"Deploy!" M yelled as she was engulfed by the light in her palms, blinding the IS pilots targeting her. Once the light died down, M was revealed to be in an IS herself, which resembled a butterfly.

"That's Silent Zephyrs!" Exclaimed the first pilot who spoke to M.

M locked on to all four IS pilots, and soon outstretched her arm and point it at them as if it were a weapon, materializing her Star Breaker rifle.

"It can't be.. Phantom Task!" Another one of the IS pilots noted.

M only grinned in return to the pilots' realization of who they were up against, before the teenage girl swiftly made quick work of her opponents.

* * *

The next morning Houki was walking along a walkway outside the Academy buildings towards the main entrance. Houki was wearing a royal blue mini skirt and light turquoise blouse with red lining, and black thigh highs as she carried her purse with her. She was giggling, happy about something, "I can't believe this. Ichika was so direct about asking, but I never imagined he would be so nervous when he finally got up the nerve to ask me out on a date, but here we are and-"

Her train of thought was stopped abruptly as she was able to see around the corner and noticed a line of girls patiently waiting for someone to arrive. Houki ran over to them, having a good idea of who they might be, and wanted to confirm her suspicions. When she stopped in front of them all, she indeed was correct. It was all her friends/rivals. Charlotte was wearing a yellow short sleeved blouse with a white tank top overtop, and a frilly yellow skirt. Rin had a plain red tank top on, with blue short shorts. Cecilia was wearing a turquoise sundress, and Laura was wearing the purple dress that Charlotte had picked out for her at Third Surface.

All of them had irritated looks, realizing they all got their hopes up. The only one who seemed happy was Cecilia, who in fact was standing with her date, Scott, who was wearing a grey dress shirt with blue jeans, and had a pair of black shades resting on top of his brown hair. All of them were waiting for the man of the hour.

"Hey there! Good morning! Sorry I kept you waiting, everyone," Ichika shouted an apology as he ran to them. Once he got there he stopped to explain, "I invited Dan and some other people, but they all said they couldn't make it today." After he was done talking, the three girls lined up with Cecilia and Scott glared at Ichika.

Charlotte, Rin and Laura surrounded the boy and complained to him.

"You idiot!" Rin said.

"Oui, toying with girls hearts is a terrible thing!" Charlotte concurred.

"You have failed as a bride!" Laura stated.

All the while they were voicing they're unhappy opinions of Ichika, Houki was in the back talking to herself, repeating, "I should've known."

A short while later, the girls were over it for the most part but still didn't want to talk to Ichika, so they went ahead of him; leaving him behind.

"Jeez, what are they so mad about?" Ichika mumbled to himself.

Scott and Cecilia walked up to Ichika and stood beside him, "As to how you can manage to piss all of them off every time and still have a decent relationship with each one baffles me," Scott commented.

Cecilia elbowed her date in response to his comment, "Even though your comment is valid, it's still rude!" She scolded.

* * *

At the water park, Scott was waiting by a giant stone octopus that the entire gang agreed upon meeting at before going on the rides. He was wearing white swim shorts and had his shades on as he looked up to the sky, dotted with white clouds before he heard footsteps approaching him, like the person was running. He turned to see Cecilia running towards him, wearing a light purple bikini set that was enticing to the eyes.

"What's the hurry?" Scott asked while she stopped to catch her breath after reaching him.

"I couldn't wait to get this date started so I changed as fast as I could," Cecilia explained, which caused Scott's face to turn a little red at the sentiment.

"I take it we're not waiting for the others then," Scott stated as he started walking towards the pools and waterslides.

Cecilia followed suit as she wrapped her arms around one of Scott's, "That is correct. Today is a day of fun for the two of us! I don't want any interruptions."

So the two went off to go on their date. Not long after they left and were out of sight; the rest of the girls had arrived at the meeting place, confused as to why nobody was waiting at it already. Houki was in a red bikini that accentuated her bust, while Charlotte was in a blue bikini that did that same with hers. Rin was in an orange checkered bikini, while Laura wore a white one piece swim suit.

"Where are those three?" Houki inquired to the others.

"Maybe they got tired of waiting and went on without us," Rin suggested.

"That is a possibility, but I don't think Ichika would abandon the meeting spot in favour of getting more time to try all the rides," Laura countered.

Charlotte sighed, "That is true, but Scott is his friend, and he's more than capable of persuading that boy to join him if he wanted."

"I say we split up into teams, and look for them. We'll meet back here in half an hour whether or not we found them," Rin suggested, and the others nodded before Charlotte and Houki ran in one direction and Rin and Laura ran in the opposite direction.

Five minutes later, Ichika arrived at the meeting spot, "I swear they would've been here by now," He said to himself as he looked around from his spot.

* * *

Scott was pushing Cecilia along one of the pools as she laid back in a tube, enjoying the sun and the moment, "It's so true. There's nothing like spending a hot summer day at the pool, don't you think?"

An idea crossed Scott's mind as he grinned, "You're absolutely right Cecilia. So much so that I think you should join me in the pool."

The British girl was caught off guard as Scott wrapped his arms around her waist and started tickling her, causing her to laugh and scream until she lost her balance on the tube and fell in the water, like the boy had planned. Except, she landed on top of him, and his face was sandwiched in between her cleavage for a brief moment before she picked herself up, "That was uncalled for!"

Scott also picked himself up and wiped his hair to the sides, "Which part? Me tickling you, or you falling on top of me?"

Cecilia wasn't too happy, and was about to answer before she let it go. Instead she thought of getting payback and splashed water in Scott's face. And so a water fight ensued for a few minutes, before they heard a familiar voice call out to them.

"Ahoy mateys! I see Stalker and Alcott over there!" Honne yelled, "Yo, ho, ho!" She was on the other side of the stone meridian with 3 other girls and were all a banana boat.

"Oh, Nohohon! Nice to see you here!" Scott replied back as he waved.

Nohohon was looking through her binoculars, "Ooo, Captain; I spy Cecilia wearing a raunchy swim suit!"

"Really raunchy," the girl behind Nohohon said.

"Wet and raunchy," The girl at the back said.

"Cecilia's the raunchiest!" All four girls teased the blonde girl.

Feeling a little self-conscious, Cecilia put her arms around her chest, closed her eyes and yelled, "I am not the raunchiest!"

Before anything else was said, a loud buzzer went off, causing Scott and Cecilia to look in the direction it came from to see the flood gate behind them had opened, releasing a huge wave that came crashing towards them. Both of them had looks of horror as they watched the giant wave of water come towards them before they were swept up from it and washed away.

"Bye-bye, Stalker!" Nohohon shouted to the boy as she waved.

* * *

Ichika was found by Houki and Charlotte who had returned to the meeting point, where he was waiting. "Hey, where were you guys? I've been waiting here for almost half an hour." Ichika inquired as he walked up to the girls.

"We thought you had gone off with Scott and Cecilia, so we went around looking for you," Houki answered as she took Ichika's arm and started pulling him.

Charlotte followed the two, "Oui, but it seems those two just decided to go off on their own."

Ichika was confused, "Why? Don't they want to hang out with us?"

Houki shook her head in disappointment as she sighed, "No. I thought you knew that those two were on a date today. I guess they just tagged along until we got here."

The boy's world was turned upside down, "What! Scott and Cecilia are on a date?!"

Charlotte facepalmed, trying to contain her frustration with Ichika's inability to take hints, "Ichika, you live in the same dorm room as Scott, one would assume that you're the most informed of his relationship with Cecilia since his AWOL mission to rescue his father, N'est-ce Pas?. Cecilia has been hanging out with him ever since then, keeping tabs on his well-being and getting to know him better. At this point, it's clearly obvious something made her fall for him..."

"I thought something was odd with how often Scott was absent from our dorm room. I thought he was just in a maintenance bay all the time," Ichika mumbled to himself.

"Oh!" Charlotte said aloud.

"What is it?" Ichika asked.

"Look over there. It's a waterslide for couples," Charlotte replied, pointing to a trio of windy waterslides in the distance.

"Oh, that's wonderful," Ichika said hesitantly.

Houki feigned an exhausted sigh, "I suppose I don't have a choice. I wouldn't object to doing it with you," she stated, directing the message to Ichika, despite him not understanding her intent.

"Hey! No fair! Let's decide with rock-paper-scissors," Charlotte complained, not wanting Houki to get ahead of her.

"Oh yeah? Then without your fingers on three!" Houki suggested.

Once they were at the top, where people get on the slides; both girls got ready and counted to three in unison before the winner was decided, which happened to be Charlotte. She chose paper, while Houki picked rock. The latter was upset with losing as she turned around and put up her fist in anger, while the former had leaned back a bit in a triumphant, taunting manner as she held her hand up and smiled at Houki.

"Alright then, let me explain how to use the couple's slide. First, the dude gets in and sits right here," The female lifeguard explained, as she pointed to a spot in the middle of the still water.

"Uh, sure." Ichika said as he followed her orders.

"And then the lady gets in and sits in between the dude's legs," The lifeguard continued.

Charlotte did as she was told, and sat in between Ichika's legs, albeit not touching him, as she was embarrassed, "Like this?"

"Yeah, that's just awesome," The lifeguard replied in a bored tone. "Now dude, I want you to reach around the lady tightly from behind like an Anaconda."

Meanwhile the lifeguard was explaining the rules; Houki was minding her own business, until she heard the last part, to which she became envious of Charlotte.

"Ok, well Charl; do you mind?" Ichika asked nervously.

"Ah! N-No, it's fine," She replied back, just as nervous.

Ichika tried putting his hands around the girls waist until she flinched from his touch, causing him to remove his hands and turn his head away, "I'm sorry." He said.

"No, I'm-I'm good," she insisted in a meek voice.

All the while Houki was in the background ready to blow a fuse from watching their interaction.

"Nope. You gotta get closer together, it's safety regulations, okay. Here," the lifeguard explained as she got down into the water with them and pulled the two closer together, wrapping Ichika's arms around Charlotte before pushing them down the slide, "Alright, you guys have fun!"

As they were going down the waterslide, they gained speed quickly as lots of water was hitting their faces. Both were screaming in fear and excitement, until somewhere along the ride a large amount of water hit them. When that happened, Ichika's hands managed to shift from Charlotte's stomach to her chest.

"Ichika!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"I can't help it!" Ichika yelled back, before both fell into the pool at the end of the slide.

Once Ichika's head was above water level he saw Charlotte had moved away from him, holding her chest as she glared at him, "I-I'm sorry." He said sheepishly.

"You're such a pervert," She accused.

"Huh?! It's not my fault! That was just water and gravity! I mean, jeez!" Ichika protested.

"Oh yeah, blame gravity."

The next moment they heard a familiar voice, "Say cheese!" Scott said as he took a picture when Charlotte and Ichika both turned to look in his direction. Cecilia was right behind the boy and looked over his shoulder to look at the picture he took on his phone. Charlotte was closer to the camera and showed her covering her chest in embarrassment, while Ichika still had his desperate expression across his face when he looked towards the camera.

"Charlotte is quite flustered in that photo," Cecilia commented.

"I know.." Scott was trying to hold in his laughter, "And we both know why."

Charlotte's face turned even more red from embarrassment, but it was also paired with anger this time as she started walking towards Scott, "You delete that picture now! I don't want to see it anywhere!"

Scott put his hands up above his head with his phone still in hand and broke out laughing, "I don't plan on sharing it with anyone else. Cecilia will be the only one to see it, I swear you have nothing to worry about."

The French girl didn't believe him as she tried pulling his arm down to take the phone away, but her attempts were in vain, "What about Phoenix, he saw them didn't he?!"

"Well of course he did. He sees whatever I see, we're a package as long as I'm connected to my IS," Scott explained.

Charlotte didn't like hearing that, so she pulled Scott's pendant off his neck and held it away from him, "Fine. If you want Phoenix back, you have to promise that you _will not_ share the photo if you won't delete it. That includes Phoenix!"

Scott outstretched a hand to try and grab his pendant, but Charlotte moved it further out of his reach, waiting for his answer.

"Fine," He said in a long sigh. "I promise on mine and Phoenix's behalf that we will not share it."

Charlotte then placed the pendant back in Scott 's hand as she walked away, still upset, "Good. I'll take your word on that."

"Hurry up Ichika! What are you doing?! It's my turn!" Houki shouted from the top of the slides.

Shortly after the four of them got back up to the top where Houki was waiting, the lifeguard seemed amused as she repeated the same instructions as before, albeit at a faster pace this time, "Okay, how to use the couple's slide; first, hotshot here gets in and sits down right here. Then the new girl gets in and sits in between his legs while the man hugs her tightly from behind."

Ichika turned around while already sitting down, "Say, Houki. Would you mind getting in behind me instead?"

"Uh, you mean like straddling you?" Houki inquired, confused by the suggestion.

Ichika had a look of horror on his face as he thought of a way to convince his friend to agree to it, knowing what the consequences would be if she were to sit in front of him and the same incident happened again, "Y-Yeah, well the water pressure is pretty intense so, uh- I think it'd be better if you had my back shielding your face."

Houki nodded her head, understanding his reasoning, "Ok, let's go." She answered as she sat down behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, "Like this?"

Ichika could feel her breasts pressing against his back, causing his face to turn red and his body to shake a little. He wasn't able to answer her due to his flustered state of mind.

"Uh-uh, scoot in closer kids. Safety you know," the lifeguard said as she leaned in closer a bit, smiling out of amusement. This caused Ichika to turn his head towards her, and give a short glare.

"Ok then, how's this?" Houki inquired again, this time pressing her chest against Ichika's back even more, which she was self-conscious of, making her blush too.

"- Fine..." Ichika said in a bashful voice.

Finally, the two were pushed down the slide as the lifeguard said farewell once more. And the screams of excitement and fear between the new pair occurred once more.

At the end of the ride when both were in the pool, Ichika emerged from the water and wiped his face, "See! It really was fast, huh!"

Houki was away from Ichika, her back turned on him and agreed in a bashful voice, "Uh-huh."

"Uh, what is it? Did you hurt yourself?" Ichika asked in a worried tone, unaware of her reasoning for being so quiet.

"I'm fine. But- But you're back's gotten a whole lot muscular than I expected," Houki replied.

"Huh? What'd you say about my back?" Ichika inquired, not hearing the second half of her statement.

The next moment, the pair heard a loud splash behind them coupled with screams of joy. When they both turned around to see who it was, they saw Cecilia and Scott both emerge from the water.

"Well, that was a load of fun!" Scott said as both him and Cecilia walked up to Ichika and Houki.

"Ichika! Come on, hurry up!" Rin shouted at the blue-haired boy from the top of the couples slide.

"How many times do I have to do this?!" Ichika shouted in frustration.

Scott laughed a little, "As many times as the girls want. You're the only other male here to go on the couples slide with."

Ichika didn't like hearing that coming from his friend, but the boy couldn't argue with Scott's logic.

Cecilia pulled on Scott's arm as she started walking towards the stairs to reach the slide again, "Come on, let's go another round too."

While Cecilia was pulling on him, he caught a glimpse of Chifuyu and Maya over at the lawn chairs in their bikinis, to which he stopped, causing Cecilia to look at him, "Uh, you go on ahead, I'll catch up with you soon; I just need to do something beforehand."

"O-Okay."

Meanwhile... Chifuyu spotted the kids and instantly became irritated, "You've got to be kidding me. I can't believe that group of idiots decided to come here as well."

"Excuse me, Miss Orimura, but aren't you gonna go over and say hello to Ichika? He is your brother," Maya asked.

Chifuyu was dumbfounded by her question, "Having any involvement with that bunch of crazies would completely ruin my last day off!" She stated as she looked back over at the gang, watching them climb up the stairs to the slide. This only made Maya giggle as she took a sip of her drink.

"Ahem," Scott cleared his throat, startling the two women as they looked behind their seats. "Glad to know you think I'm crazy. I'll keep that in mind from now on," he commented.

"What are you doing here Scott? I thought you were hanging out with the others," Maya inquired as she put her drink down.

"I am. I just stopped by to say hello to my teachers, who seem to dislike my presence," Scott answered, directing the second half of the statement to Chifuyu as he turned his head to her with a smile.

"I- uh, oh forget it," Chifuyu fumbled to find a valid argument.

"Anyways, I have someone waiting for me at the top of the slide, so I'll cut to the chase.." Scott stated as he picked up Chifuyu's drink and mixed it with the straw, "I was wondering if you confirmed with the Japanese Government that my father's hospital room is under protection?"

Chifuyu's eyebrow twitched as she watched Scott casually sip out of her drink like it was his, "Yes. In fact they have a series of cameras set up in and around his room, along with policemen and undercover government bodyguards watching over him twenty-four-seven. Now, if you'll excuse me; I need to go get a new drink now." She then took the drink out of Scott's hands before her phone rang. Chifuyu picked up her phone and answered, "Yeah, what?... Understood, I'm on my way." The brunhilde then hung up and got up from her lawn chair.

"What's wrong? Did something come up?" Maya inquired.

Chifuyu took her sunglasses off and sighed, "Yeah.." She then started walking away, towards the entrance of the park.

Maya put her drink down, got up from her seat and ran after Chifuyu, leaving Scott alone.

"Does that mean I can finish both cocktails?" Scott shouted at Chifuyu before they were out of earshot, but he wasn't given an answer. "I'll take that as a yes," he muttered to himself as he picked their drinks up and walked away with them.

* * *

It was dusk, and the festival square was packed full of people, bustling around the many stalls set up around the area. Families, couples, elderly, young kids and teenagers were all gathered. As for the stalls, they ranged from mini-games, food and merchant stands selling wears or jewelry. Scott and Ichika were both waiting in a small open area. They both were wearing Yukatas; the former was wearing a royal blue one with fiery red designs of a bird all over it, while the latter wore a plain black one.

"I could really go for some frozen yogurt," Ichika states while waving a fan at his face.

"Mmm, that sounds good, or maybe some shaved ice," Scott commented in return. The boy then felt someone tap his shoulder, so Scott turned around to see Cecilia standing behind him in a beautiful blue Yukata, similar in colour to his own, except there was no red. He then saw the other girls all standing behind her in Yukatas as well. Charlotte was wearing a light blue one with designs of blue circles with stars in them, while Laura was in a purple Yukata with pink lines across it, and a pink flower design on the chest. Rin was wearing a yellow Yukata with white streaks all over it, dotted with orange flower designs. And finally, Houki was wearing a pink Yukata with designs of red flowers across it.

Cecilia put up a finger to her mouth indicating Scott to stay quiet. "Ichika!" The other girls called out in unison, causing the blue-haired boy to turn around, only to be amazed by their beauty.

The gang they started walking around the festival square, looking for their first stall to play at for games when they came across a gold fish catching mini game.

"What are these?" Charlotte inquired, intrigued by the trough full of gold fish.

"Huh? You've never seen them before?" Houki inquired as she also watched the gold fish swim.

"These are for gold fish catching; it's really fun," Ichika explained as he leaned in.

Rin took a paper net from the stall, and knelt down beside the trough of gold fish, "You take one of these nets, and scoop up the fish."

"Ooo, that looks like fun! Will you teach me how Ichika?" Charlotte asked.

"Huh? Okay," the boy replied as he also took a paper net and proceeded to crouch beside the pool of fish. "It's real simple; you do it just like this." Ichika said as he scooped up a fish before the net broke and the fish fell back into the water. "And when that happens, it's game over."

"Oh, I understand now," Charlotte said as she tried.

Meanwhile the blonde was trying to catch one of the gold fish, Laura was staring at the gold fish in awe, captivated by them, "Wunderbar…"

After they all played a couple rounds of the goldfish catching game with no luck, they moved onto a food stall that was serving octopus balls.

Houki held up one to Charlotte, who put up her hands, "Uh, no no no. Nothing with tentacles for me."

"A-Are we going to eat octopus?" Cecilia inquired, hesitant at the thought.

Scott had a serving of his own that he was eating out of, "Mmm, I was skeptical at first, but this is delicious. You've got to try it Cecilia!"

Houki giggled at the two girls, "Oh come on, it's a traditional Japanese food."

After Houki's remark, the British representative took a bite out of Scott's, "Mmm, it's delicious! Try it Laura."

"Mm, ja this is pretty good," Laura commented with her mouth full.

After eating their octopus balls, the gang then moved onto a stall that was selling cotton candy. Cecilia was eating small portions of hers, along with Laura and Rin who were also eating from her cotton candy, "This is delectable!" Cecilia commented with joy.

"It's my turn to feed you Houki. close your eyes and say 'aw,'" Charlotte said as she held her cotton candy to Houki.

"Say what?!"

As their last food stall to visit, they all went and got some shaved ice and happily ate it before moving back onto the games. Once they finished, the group decided to play at a shooting gallery to try and win stuffed animals for prizes.

"As you know, sniping is my specialty," Cecilia boasted as she got ready to fire at one of the prizes.

"You do realize that's a toy gun, right?" Ichika inquired, not convinced she could win, right before she took her shot and knocked down a blue penguin.

"Wow! Very nicely done!" the boy then said, surprised he was proven wrong.

Charlotte had propped her gun against the counter and aimed for a toy she wanted, "I think I'm pretty good at this, no?" She stated before knocking down her target.

"Yeah, well, I've had sniper training in the military too you know," Rin boasted, not wanting to be outdone as she knocked down a little plushie bear.

Meanwhile Houki was in the back, watching the rest of the girls all win prizes easily, envious.

"Hey, Houki?" Ichika inquired, catching the girls attention.

"Uh-huh?" She answered, turning to the boy.

"How are your sniping skills these days?" He asked.

"Mine? What about yours?" She countered, clearly irritated.

Ichika then looked to the prizes with an embarrassed look, "Mm, close-quarter combat is more my thing."

"Mhm, same for me," Houki agreed.

"Good thing there's more to this than just shooting," The boy said, causing Houki to agree. "What about you Scott? The girls taught you how to use a sniper."

Scott then picked up one of the toy guns and got ready to fire, "I don't know. Pretty sure I can win a prize, but I'm still not as good of a shot as Charlotte or Cecilia." He then knocked down a fox plushie after.

Laura growled in annoyance, "Verdammt!"

The rest of the gang looked over at Laura and saw she was trying to take out the largest prize the mini-game had to offer, which was a large white cat standing upright with a hand in the air another gripping a coin.

"And then there are those that are just unstoppable," Ichika commented towards the prize Laura had her eyes on.

"I will defeat him. I must!" Laura exclaimed as she took a shot at the prize, only for it to bounce off, angering the German super soldier more.

Charlotte then stepped up, "Don't worry, we're behind you."

"If you'll accept foreign aid," Cecilia commented with a friendly smile.

"Yeah, just this once," Rin added.

"Eh, why the hell not?" Scott said as he also aimed his gun at the prize.

"Right! All for one, and one for all!" Houki said with determination to the rest of the group as she even joined in.

The entire gang except for Ichika was aiming at the main prize and waiting for Laura's order to fire.

"Ready. Aim. On my mark, fire!" Laura shouted as they all fired their guns at the prize, finally knocking it down to Laura's delight.

"Victory!" They all shouted.

The stall owner then handed Laura her prize, and offered to take a picture of her holding it, to which she agreed. The others who helped her win were also included in the picture, and all of them had joyous looks as they celebrated.

* * *

Back at the Academy, Maya and Chifuyu were in a private maintenance bay on a computer looking over data that was sent to them. On the screen it showed footage of a destroyed military base, and besides a hologram of the target that had caused it, Silent Zephyrs. The data concluded it was a robbery of an IS that was sealed away on the base.

This didn't sit too well with Chifuyu, knowing if that was the case, then it's only a matter of time before their next target is the Academy as it holds three unique IS.

* * *

To finish off their final summer day at the festival, the entire gang bought sparklers. They all moved to a quiet, secluded area and light them all, and just watched the sparklers burn. Nobody spoke a word as they all reminisced of their summer break, until the sparklers went out.

"And another summer, gone." Ichika said in a content voice as the light created from the sparklers went out.

Scott truly felt at peace in the moment as he turned to look at Cecilia who looked back at him and smiled. But then the boy got a chill down his spine, causing him to turn around and look in the distance, but the feeling disappeared as soon as he turned around to check.

"What's wrong?" Cecilia inquired.

"Hm? Nothing," Scott answered as the gang stood up and started walking back to the monorail, ready to go to bed.

Meanwhile in the distance, a silver haired boy in a plain black Yukata was watching them, blending in with the crowd as he did.

"That is my target?" He inquired.

"Mhm," A voice replied over a voice comm. "He may not look it, but the boy is no slouch."

"Shall I pursue them?" The silver haired boy asked.

"Negative. Return to base. For now, we're just going to observe the target, and wait for the right moment to confront him."

The boy stopped trailing the gang as he turned around, "Understood. Heading back now." He then cut the voice comm and started walking out of sight. But he felt a pain reemerge, causing him to stop and hold his shoulder. When he took his hand off it, his hand was shown to be covered in fresh blood. "I see, my wound has reopened," He commented in a nonchalant tone, unfazed by it. He then continued walking.

A little later that same night, atop the IS Academy, there was a girl with blue hair and red eyes, "It looks like it's game time for me; Team leader, Tatenashi Sarashiki." She then gave an amused grunt.

* * *

Oh boy, man that was uh.. A little longer than expected, sorry for the wait. I've just got irl to deal with, and it ain't fun to say the least. So here's the first of 12+ chapters X.X

I've got a lot of work ahead of me, please send help xD

As always, fav, follow review if you wish. Peace!


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